Civil Rights advocacy Group: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has condemned the continuous arbitrary and unlawful arrest and detention of the social media influencer and social justice activist, Mr. Martins Vincent Otse also known as Very Dark Man by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) just as the Rights group has demanded the immediate release of the detainee.
The Rights group accused the anti-graft agency of overreaching their jurisdiction by acting as the ‘enforcer’ and ‘bouncers’ of the bank being accused of alleged extortion by a customer. “The EFCC as a body set up by law ought to be on the side of the alleged victim of Bank’s extortion rather than behave as the protector of the accused bank. This is so very unfortunate and constitutes an unmitigated illegality on the part of the EFCC.”
In a media statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA warned that the frequent use of the cybercrime Act by the security and law enforcement agencies to clamp down on activists and media practitioners based on flippant petitions by perceived powerful and rich Nigerians amounts to absolute abuse of power just as the EFCC is criticised for allowing itself to be used by a bank to detain someone who only went to a branch of the bank to inquire into the alleged criminal deductions made from the account of the mother of the activist being detained by the EFCC.
HURIWA wonders why the EFCC thinks that bank customers do not have the human or legal right to demand redress when their rights as customers are flagrantly breached by the banks or is it that the EFCC is set up to defend the rich and intimidate, harass and arbitrarily use its detention centres to clamp down on customers of banks complaining of unlawful deductions by these financial institutions?
“We in HURIWA are shocked beyond comprehension why the EFCC is quick to arrest persons perceived as less powerful and more of law abiding citizens whose actions do not border on any anti-graft offences such as this arbitrary and illegal arrest of Very Dark Man who as far as the story goes, did nothing to justify the contrived warrant from the so-called magistrate court accusing him of violation of the cybercrime Act.
“The truth is that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999 as amended in chapter 4 guarantees to citizens the fundamental freedoms of expression which was the right that was exercised by Very Dark Black Man by going peacefully and non-violently to the branch of GTB Bank to find out why his mother is a victim of alleged illegal deductions by the bank. The arrest of this activist is nothing short of total abuse of power and abuse of office.”
“It is our considered view that matters between bank customers and the bank do not constitute either cyberbullying, or anti-graft offence and we wonder why the EFCC have overlooked colossal financial Crimes being committed even as we write by top government officials who are seemingly treated as sacred cows who can’t be prosecuted by the EFCC because they are connected to the All Progressives Congress that is the political party that formed the government at the centre.
“Nigerians are indeed mystified and disappointed that most if not all of the cases of massive thefts of public funds by key functionaries of the immediate past President Buhari’s administration such as those that allegedly occurred even right under the nose of the presidency including the Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation ministry amongst many others are not attracting the attentions of the EFCC but this same EFCC is often in an insane hurry to arrest smaller persons who are card carrying members of the All Progressives Congress. We are demanding the immediate release of Very Dark Black Man by the EFCC.”
HURIWA lamented that even when the legal representatives of Mr. Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as AKA Very Dark Black Man, inquired about the detention of their client, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) allegedly refused to come clean on the exact reason why the activist and social media influencer is being detained.
According to the lawyers, under the auspices of Deji Adeyanju and Partners, the EFCC only showed their colleagues, who were at the commission, an arrest warrant allegedly issued against Otse by His Worship, Njideka Iloanya-Duru (Mrs.), Chief Magistrate II, Wuse Zone 2, on the allegation of cyber stalking.
In a statement on behalf of the law firm, signed by Zainab M. Otega, Esq., they called on the commission to respect their client’s constitutionally guaranteed rights, alleging that Otse, along with his friend, were beaten and blindfolded by some armed men wearing black uniforms.
The statement read: “Earlier today, May 2, 2025, our attention was drawn to the fact that our clients, Mr. Martins Vincent Otse (AKA Very Dark Black Man) and Mr. Steven Avuara (AKA C-PACK), were arrested by officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), immediately after they exited Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Ltd’s premises at Garki, Area 3, Abuja.
“Upon receipt of the information, our Founding Partner, Marvin Omorogbe, Esq., and our Associate, Steven Eze, Esq., promptly proceeded to the EFCC Headquarters, Abuja, where they confirmed that our clients were being detained by officers attached to the Commission’s Special Duty Committee (SDC) Unit 4.
“Further inquiries at the SDC Unit 4 led our colleagues to a certain Mr. Chukwu, who was identified as the lead officer in charge of the case. Our colleagues subsequently requested access to our clients, but they were informed that Mr. Martins Otse declined to see anybody. However, our colleagues were able to see Mr. Avuara, who narrated the circumstances leading to their arrest.
“From our interactive session with Mr. Avuara, we were able to gather that Mr. Martins Otse, his mother, Mrs. Blessing Otse, and Mr. Avuara visited GTB Garki, Area 3, Abuja, to make inquiries about the incessant deductions from Mrs. Otse’s bank account.
HURIWA is once more demanding the immediate freedom for the unlawfully detained Very Dark Black Man from the dungeons of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or if there is any evidence to support this kind of unconstitutional behaviour of the EFCC then the detainee must be freed and presumed innocent until a contrary determination by a competent court of law is reached. The detain has his constitutionally guaranteed fair hearing and shouldn’t be locked up for exercising his fundamental right as a citizen.
Ends.
