How EFCC grilled VeryDarkMan over Mercy Chinwo, Source of Income, others

On Monday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) interrogated social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), following several petitions reportedly filed against him.

According to sources, the questioning was conducted at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, with his lawyers, Deji Adeyanju and Marvin Omorogbe, present during the session.

The interrogation, which began around 2:30 p.m., was still ongoing at the time of this report.

The EFCC had earlier confirmed Otse’s arrest, stating that it followed multiple complaints from concerned individuals. Speaking to BBC News Pidgin, the agency’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said the activist was arrested to address a number of allegations contained in the petitions received.

“We arrested him to respond to a series of allegations raised against him by some petitioners,” Oyewale confirmed. When asked if the petitions came from Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), he clarified that complaints were received from various individuals, and the commission had a duty to address them.

Oyewale also disclosed that the EFCC plans to arraign the activist in court soon, assuring that he would be released once his bail conditions are met. “We are law-abiding,” he added.

Meanwhile, Deji Adeyanju claimed in a statement on Friday that VeryDarkMan was arrested after visiting a GTBank branch in Abuja. According to him, Otse was deliberately trapped inside the bank’s exit door for over five minutes to allow EFCC operatives arrest him and his friend.

Adeyanju described the incident as inhumane and said legal action would be taken against the bank. “VDM was locked inside the GTB exit door for over 5 mins to enable EFCC arrest him and his friend. We will be taking legal actions against GTB for the inhumane treatment meted out to our client,” he stated.

In a related development, the Take It Back (TIB) Movement condemned the arrest and demanded his immediate release. The group revealed that Otse was apprehended on May 2, 2025, after he had gone to the bank with his mother and a friend to resolve issues concerning unauthorised deductions from his mother’s account.

CCTV footage of the incident, which has since surfaced online, has stirred public outrage, with many accusing the authorities of attempting to silence the outspoken critic. The TIB Movement further claimed that VeryDarkMan’s mother, who witnessed the arrest, had gone missing since the incident and her whereabouts remain unknown.

The group pointed out that this was not the first time VeryDarkMan had faced harassment for his outspoken criticism of corruption and injustice in society. On Monday, a group of youths staged a protest at the GTBank branch in Abuja, waving Nigerian flags and displaying placards with different messages calling for his release.