The EFCC, speaking through its spokesperson Dele Oyewale, told BBC News Pidgin on Monday that the activist was taken into custody following complaints from several petitioners.

Nigeria's anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has confirmed the arrest of social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), over multiple petitions.Nigerian fashion

The EFCC, speaking through its spokesperson Dele Oyewale, told BBC News Pidgin on Monday that the activist was taken into custody following complaints from several petitioners.


"We arrested him to respond to a series of allegations raised against him by some petitioners," Oyewale said.

When asked if the case was connected to Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Oyewale noted that the petitions were from different individuals and the agency owed them a duty of protection.

Oyewole added that the commission was planning to arraign the social media activist.


He stated, "We will release him when he meets the bail conditions and we will take the case to court as soon as possible; we are law-abiding."

The Take It Back Movement had called for his immediate and unconditional release.

The group noted that Otse was apprehended on Thursday, May 2, 2025, shortly after visiting the GTBank branch in Area 3, Garki, Abuja.

He had reportedly gone to the bank with his mother and an associate to address unauthorised deductions from his mother’s account when he was arrested.

CCTV footage of the arrest, now widely circulated online, has sparked outrage and concern, with many alleging it was a targeted operation aimed at silencing a vocal critic of government and institutional misconduct.

In a press release on Sunday signed by Adekunle Adeyemi Taofeek (Scotty Aluta), Lagos State Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, the arrest was described as “unlawful” and “premeditated,” accusing both the EFCC and GTBank of complicity in what they termed an abuse of power.

TIB Movement noted that Otse’s mother, who was present during the arrest, had since gone missing, and her current whereabouts were unknown.

The group explained that this was not the first time Mr. Otse had been targeted for his outspoken views on injustice, corruption, and societal ills.

The statement read in part: "The Take It Back Movement condemns in strong terms the unlawful arrest and continued detention of popular activist and social media commentator, Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

"Mr. Otse was arrested on Thursday, May 2, 2025, shortly after exiting the GTBank branch in Area 3, Garki, Abuja, where he had gone alongside his mother and an associate to inquire about unauthorized deductions from his mother's bank account. His arrest, captured on CCTV and now publicly circulating, appears premeditated and raises serious questions about abuse of power and the increasing use of state security agencies to silence critical voices.

"Worse still, his mother, who was with him at the time, remains missing, and her whereabouts are unknown — a deeply troubling development that only further underscores the lawless conduct of the agencies involved.”