VDM not told why he’s being detained — Counsel

ABUJA—The legal team of Mr. Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, VDM, has raised concerns over the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, failure to formally inform its client of any charges, following his arrest on May 1, 2025.

Zainab Otega, a member of VDM’s legal team, confirmed that her client was subjected to several hours of interrogation yesterday in the presence of her colleague, Marvin Omorogbe.

The EFCC had earlier announced that Otse had been granted administrative bail.

However, at press time, VDM remains in custody, and his legal team has declined to disclose the conditions attached to the bail.

EFCC has, meanwhile, defended the arrest of Otse, stating that the action was carried out fairly as part of its on-going anti-corruption efforts.

Otega expressed serious concern about the focus of the interrogation, which she described as being centred on unrelated matters. These include VeryDarkMan’s handling of naira notes at a nightclub, the monetisation of his social media accounts, comments made about a Nigerian gospel artiste, his tax records, and sources of income.

She argued that such a line of questioning indicates the EFCC was ‘fishing for evidence’, rather than pursuing a legitimate case.

“The EFCC’s refusal to inform our client of the specific allegations against him constitutes a fundamental breach of his constitutional rights,” she added.

The legal team has demanded the immediate release of Otse or, alternatively, that he be charged in court if the EFCC has any credible allegations against him.

Otega stressed that his continued detention beyond the constitutional limit of 24 hours was unlawful.

We are, therefore, calling on the commission to either release Mr. Otse immediately or charge him to court if there is indeed a case to answer,” she stated.

Otega also urged Nigerians to exercise their constitutional right to peaceful protest while refraining from taking the law into their own hands.

“We are grateful to Nigerians for the interest they have shown in this case,” she added, appealing for calm amidst rising public tension.

VDM arrested fairly in our anti-corruption fight —EFCC

In a statement, yesterday, by Dele Oyewale, Head of Media and Publicity, the EFCC explained that Otse had repeatedly failed to honour invitations for questioning, despite being contacted through various channels.

While such conduct is condemnable, his arrest was not motivated by these attacks. The relevant law enforcement agency will be allowed to look into them,” the statement said, referring to Otse’s past criticisms of the commission.

The EFCC affirmed its legal authority to detain Otse while investigations were ongoing and confirmed that a valid Remand Order had been secured.

“The commission is aware of several unguarded attacks by the suspect on its operations,” it noted, reinforcing its commitment to the integrity of its investigative processes.

Otse has been offered administrative bail, subject to the fulfilment of specific conditions. The commission also acknowledged the significant public interest in the case and urged Nigerians to refrain from drawing conclusions about its motives.

The EFCC should be allowed to do its job without fear or favour,” the statement stressed.
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to conducting thorough investigations and stated that charges would be filed upon the conclusion of the inquiry.