Raphael Johnson
There are strong indications that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, may have arrested social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, over allegations of cyberstalking.
A source within the EFCC told Vanguard “We picked him up based on several complaints that he used his social media platforms to harass, insult, and intimidate individuals — actions that may contravene the Cybercrimes Act of 2015.
”When asked to identify those who filed the complaints or felt targeted, the source declined to provide further details.
Deji Adeyanju, counsel to VeryDarkMan, said “I’m currently not in Nigeria. But I’ll be back in Abuja tomorrow (Monday) afternoon. By 4 p.m, we will be at the EFCC to secure his bail.
“As of now, the Commission has not formally disclosed the specific offence my client is alleged to have committed.”
It was gathered that the EFCC is preparing to bring formal charges against VeryDarkMan any moment from today.
Condemning his arrest, human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, among others, said “It has become evident that the EFCC unlawfully arrested and detained Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VDM, in a bid to silence him after he accused the agency and its leadership of corruption and misconduct.
“The EFCC is now considering legal avenues to arraign him in court, possibly tomorrow, in an effort to justify their actions.
“The Commission does not possess the legal mandate to prosecute individuals for criminal defamation, libel, or cybercrime; matters typically pursued through civil litigation. Therefore, the EFCC must release VDM without delay.
”Similarly, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has condemned what it described as “unlawful and arbitrary” arrest and detention of Very Dark Man, VDM, by the EFCC, demanding his immediate release.
In a statement in Abuja, the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, accused the anti-graft agency of overstepping its mandate and acting as “enforcers” for commercial banks rather than upholding the rights of citizens.
“The EFCC is increasingly becoming a tool for oppression against ordinary Nigerians rather than a watchdog against corruption.
“It is unconscionable and legally indefensible that someone who simply questioned suspicious deductions from his mother’s account is being treated like a criminal.
”According to the rights group, Otse was arrested shortly after he visited the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) branch in Garki, Abuja, to inquire into what he alleged were fraudulent deductions from his mother’s account. He was arrested alongside a friend, Mr. Steven Avuara (also known as C-PACK), and both were allegedly beaten and blindfolded by security operatives.
Meanwhile, protesters on Monday gathered at the premises of GTB branch in Garki, Abuja, where VDM was allegedly arrested.
The protesters, mostly youths, were seen carrying banners and placards with images of VDM, calling on the bank and the Nigerian authorities to produce him. Some of them could be seen chanting his name and insisting that VDM was unjustly arrested.
Recall that some Nigerian youths, who fondly refer to themselves as the Ratel Group, had vowed to hit the streets to protest the ‘unlawful’ arrest of VDM.