The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has refuted a viral report alleging that it officially revealed the reason behind the detention of controversial social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).
VDM was taken into custody on Friday after accompanying his mother to a new generation bank branch in Abuja to address concerns over alleged unauthorised withdrawals from her account.
Following his arrest, human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju claimed the action was linked to a petition filed by a magistrate in Abuja.
On Monday, however, BBC Pidgin reported that EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale stated the activist was being held in response to multiple petitions submitted by individuals with complaints against him.
Shortly after the report circulated online, the EFCC issued a rebuttal via its official X account, denying it had provided such information to the media outlet.
The commission described the BBC Pidgin report as “fake news,” maintaining its silence on the exact reasons behind VDM’s detention.