The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is Nigeria’s main agency for fighting corruption, has arrested a popular social media activist named Martins Vincent Otse. He is better known online as VeryDarkMan or VDM.
According to the EFCC’s spokesperson, Mr Dele Oyewale, the arrest happened because the commission received several complaints (called petitions) from different people. These people said Mr Otse had done wrong, and the EFCC is now investigating.
Mr Oyewale told BBC News Pidgin on Monday that the activist was taken into custody to answer questions about these complaints. When asked if the arrest had something to do with a bank called GTBank, he said the petitions came from different individuals, not just one place. He added that the EFCC would take the case to court soon and would release Mr Otse if he meets his bail conditions.
Mr Otse was reportedly arrested on Thursday, May 2, 2025. He had gone with his mother and a friend to a GTBank branch in Area 3, Garki, Abuja, to ask about money that was taken from his mother’s bank account without her permission. That’s when EFCC officers arrested him.
CCTV footage (a video from a security camera) showing the arrest has been shared all over the internet. Many people are now worried and angry, saying the arrest looked like it was carefully planned to stop Mr Otse from speaking out. Mr Otse is known for using social media to talk about problems in Nigeria, like corruption and bad leadership.
A group called the Take It Back Movement is standing up for him. In a statement signed by the group’s Lagos State Coordinator, Mr Adekunle Adeyemi Taofeek (also known as Scotty Aluta), they called the arrest “unlawful” and “planned ahead of time.” The group believes both the EFCC and the bank are involved in trying to silence Mr Otse.
Even more worrying, the group says Mr Otse’s mother, who was with him during the arrest, has gone missing. No one knows where she is right now.
This is not the first time Mr Otse has gotten into trouble for speaking out about bad behaviour in society. The group says he is being targeted just for trying to make things better.
The EFCC says it is following the law and that Mr Otse will be taken to court soon.
