Deji Adeyanju, the legal counsel for popular internet personality Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of labeling his client a bandit, physically assaulting him, and blindfolding him during a controversial arrest.
The claims were made in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Adeyanju’s law firm. The detailed account outlines what allegedly transpired before and during the arrest.
According to the statement titled “Preliminary Statement on the Arrest of Mr. Martins Vincent Otse (aka Very Dark Black Man) and Mr. Steven Avuara (aka C-Pack) by Officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,” the incident took place on May 2, 2025. Otse, his mother Mrs. Blessing Otse, and a friend, Mr. Avuara, had visited GTBank in Garki, Area 3, Abuja, to address ongoing unauthorized deductions from Mrs. Otse’s account.
As they were leaving the bank, they were reportedly trapped in the security entrance for over five minutes. After finally stepping outside, they were allegedly confronted at gunpoint by men in black uniforms, who beat and blindfolded them. The law firm claims these men, identified as EFCC operatives, called the group “bandits” and threatened to shoot them in front of Mrs. Otse.
Following the arrest, Adeyanju’s colleagues, Marvin Omorogbe and Steven Eze, went to EFCC’s headquarters. There, they confirmed that Otse and Avuara were being held by the Special Duty Committee (SDC) Unit 4. While they were not allowed to see Otse—who reportedly declined to meet anyone—they managed to speak with Avuara, who shared his experience.
Attempts to understand why Avuara was arrested failed, as the EFCC allegedly declined to reveal any specific allegations. However, the officers did produce a warrant for Otse’s arrest, issued by Magistrate Njideka Iloanya-Duru of Wuse Zone 2, based on accusations of cyberstalking.
Despite persistent inquiries, the officers reportedly tried to question Avuara without informing him of any official charge. The lawyers ultimately walked out of the session, arguing that the EFCC’s conduct violated their client’s constitutional right to be informed of any allegations.
The statement ended with a call for the EFCC to uphold the fundamental rights of their clients as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution.
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