A large crowd of protesters on Monday stormed the headquarters of Guaranty Trust Bank in Abuja, demanding the release of popular social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan.
Chanting #FreeVDM,” the demonstrators carried placards with messages such as “Activism is not a sin,” “VDM is the masses’ liberator,” and “VDM has committed no offence.”
VeryDarkMan was recently arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged cyberstalking. His legal representative, activist-lawyer Deji Adeyanju, claimed he was picked up inside GTBank’s premises.
According to Adeyanju, “VDM was ambushed inside the banking hall. The EFCC’s action was well planned and had traces of bank involvement.”
But GTBank, in response, denied the allegation and released CCTV footage showing the influencer exiting the banking hall and walking towards the car park shortly before the arrest.
“The arrest did not take place inside our premises,” the bank said in a statement. “We encourage the public to allow proper investigation into the matter.”
Although the footage showed VDM leaving the building, it did not capture the actual moment of his arrest, as the camera coverage did not extend to that part of the car park.
On Sunday, a displeased supporter of VDM, who identified himself as @joblessking001, visited the same GTBank branch in Abuja and filmed the area where the arrest allegedly took place. Displaying his ATM card, he vowed to close his dollar account and urged others to boycott the bank.
“Knowing fully well that VDM was picked up at this branch yesterday, I could not sleep at night,” he said in a TikTok video before attempting to withdraw all his money.
Another angry supporter reportedly set his GTBank ATM card on fire in protest.
The protest has caused traffic gridlock around the bank area, with videos shared online showing long queues of cars. A user named Jojooflele posted, “They messed with the wrong person,” as she showed the blocked roads.
This is not the first time VeryDarkMan has had legal issues. In May 2024, he was arraigned at the Federal High Court in Abuja on five counts of cyberstalking involving the Nigeria Police Force and Nollywood actresses Iyabo Ojo and Tonto Dikeh. He pleaded not guilty.
Again in November 2024, he faced fresh charges of impersonation for allegedly dressing like a police officer. He was granted bail of ₦2 million.
As of Monday, calls for his release continue to grow both online and offline, with #FreeVDM trending across social media platforms.
