The legal representatives of Mr. Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), have expressed concern over the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) continued failure to formally communicate any charges against their client since 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.
