- Nigeria’s EFCC has resolved the controversy surrounding the arrest of Martins Vincent Otse, also known as Verydarkman, on social media.
- The anti-graft commission clarified that their actions were based on serious financial crime allegations, not recent criticism of the agency.
- The EFCC has invited Otse multiple times to respond to petitions alleging concealed financial offenses.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has officially responded to the public outcry surrounding the arrest of popular social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan.
In a statement released by the anti-graft agency, the EFCC clarified that Otse’s arrest was based on serious allegations of financial misconduct and not as a result of his critical commentary against the Commission. According to the agency, Otse had been invited on multiple occasions to respond to several petitions accusing him of financial malfeasance, but he allegedly failed to honour those invitations.
“These invitations were sent to his known addresses and communication channels but were repeatedly ignored,” the EFCC noted.
The agency emphasized that the petitions involved serious financial offences that warranted thorough investigation. While acknowledging that they were aware of VeryDarkMan’s online criticism, the EFCC stated that such attacks had no bearing on the decision to detain him. They added that any legal matters arising from his public statements would be handled by the appropriate authorities.
Furthermore, the Commission confirmed that a valid remand order was obtained to hold him in custody and revealed that Otse has now been granted administrative bail, pending the fulfilment of the required conditions.
Amid growing public criticism, the EFCC urged Nigerians not to rush to judgment and allow due process to take its course.
