The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied widespread claims that social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), was arrested due to petitions filed by Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank).
The EFCC had on Monday tagged the news reports as fake on it X handle and specifically directed it to Oseni Rufai a Media practitioner with Arise News TV.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale also confirmed to BBC News Pidgin on Monday that Otse’s arrest was in response to multiple cyberstalking allegations, not bank-related issues. “We arrested him to respond to a series of allegations raised against him by some petitioners,” Oyewale stated.
Contrary to social media narratives, the EFCC revealed that the arrest was carried out based on a valid court warrant issued on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Reports of GTBank’s involvement were dismissed as false, as the agency clarified that the bank had no connection to the arrest.
EFCC sources disclosed that the operation had initially been delayed due to a public holiday. However, Otse reportedly announced via social media that he would be visiting a GTBank branch on the holiday. Acting on this, EFCC officials deployed operatives to three of the bank’s busiest branches in anticipation of his appearance. Their calculation paid off, and the influencer was apprehended at one of the locations.
The Commission’s clarification comes amid public backlash, with some supporters of VDM destroying their GTBank ATM cards in protest, under the assumption that the bank was responsible for his arrest.
As of the time of filing this report, the EFCC has yet to issue an official public statement beyond confirming the nature of the allegations. Legal observers have also raised questions regarding the commission’s constitutional authority to detain Otse over non-financial cyber offenses. The matter continues to generate national attention pending further legal and institutional responses.