Here Are 4 times VeryDarkMan Has Been Arrested

His outspoken commentary on social issues and public figures has frequently placed him at odds with law enforcement

​Nigerian social media critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has become quite the household name in recent years. Known for calling out public figures, politicians, and influencers on various issues, VDM’s confrontational style has earned him both devoted followers and powerful enemies. 

Over the past few years, he’s been arrested multiple times, mostly on charges related to cyberbullying, defamation, and cyberstalking, sparking public debates about free speech in Nigeria.

Here is a timeline of VDM’s different run-ins with the law:

March 2024:  Arrested Over Cyberbullying Allegations
VDM was arrested on allegations of cyberbullying and cyberstalking, including making false accusations against  Tonto Dikeh and Iyabo Ojo. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded in police custody until his hearing on May 29, 2024. After two weeks in detention, he was released.

October 2024 : Arrested after 'Police uniform fiasco'
In October 2024, the renowned critic was invited by the Nigerian police after a video of him wearing the police uniform went viral. Said video raked in different reactions online, with many slamming him for abusing the uniform.’

However, after honouring the invitation, VDM was detained by the police and the news was confirmed by his lawyer Deji Adeyanju.
His post read, “Our client, VDM, has been detained after honouring a police invitation just like yesterday. VDM has been consistent in stating that the Nigerian Police are our friends, even when we all know they are not.”
VDM was subsequently released from detention.

March 2025: Arrest Warrant issued for the defamation of Mercy Chinwo
In March 2025, the Chief Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 6, Abuja, issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Very Dark Man (VDM) over the alleged defamation of Nigerian gospel singer Mercy Chinwo. Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna issued the bench warrant on Thursday, March 13, 2025, following VeryDarkMan's failure to appear before the magistrate after being summoned on March 5, 2025. However, he was never arrested for this.

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May 2025: Arrested at Abuja Bank
On Friday, May 2, 2025, VDM was arrested after going to a bank with a friend, immediately sparking reactions and widespread outrage, According to his lawyer,Adeyanju, the outspoken activist was apprehended inside a Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) branch alongside a friend, identified only as C Park.
"JUST IN: VDM arrested by the police at GTB. Spoke to them before he was arrested. This is absolutely unacceptable. Demanding accountability is not a crime," Adeyanju said in a social media post.

BETWEEN GTB, EVANS AND THE REST OF US

The hue and cry over the arrest of billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudubem Onwumadike (aka Evans), may just be normal flash in the pan if certain aspects of how his humongous wealth and ill-gotten money were not critically assessed and evaluated.

This has to do with certain financial houses that have been serially mentioned as being the custodians of Evans’ huge cash deposits with them. Chief of these banks is allegedly Guaranty Trust Bank Plc. In the wake of this revelation by the kidnap kingpin, several bank managers are already afflicted by fear and indescribable dread of what grief may come in the wake of their liaisons with the billionaire kidnapper over their dirty deals with the bank executives. It therefore stands to reason that, if the truth must be told and the Central Bank of Nigeria are also culpable here, then the arrest of Evans is not enough to put an end to the hydra-headed monster, kidnapping. At least the source(s) of any depositor’s money are statutorily to br investigated and scrutinized before such are kept safe for the depositor. So, did GTB do the needful before all of Evans’ money was stashed into their vault, without necessarily querying the source of his money? The only probable defense for GTB is now left in the imagination of many, who will rather see the whole scenario. An investigation proper into the ugly situation will ascertain whether the bank followed the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) reporting guidelines in filling reports, observed Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and followed Know Your Customer (KYC) directives of the CBN on account opening. But no sooner than the CBN promised to probe them than some banks engaged in a fierce hustle to prevent their names from getting published, GTB inclusive. Interestingly, most of the sites on-line that have published damaging reports on the bank’s culpability in Evans’ misdemeanour, have been surreptitiously mopped out from public consumption. And this is where the onus lies on GTB to come out in a brazen manner and defend itself; otherwise they will remain guilty as charged with Evans. Of course, one couldn’t have forgotten so soon when Evans’ wife, Precious mentioned GTB’s name that officials of the bank regularly come to their house in Magodo to see her husband for business transactions.

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