The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed the arrest of Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, and is appealing to the public to avoid spreading unconfirmed information.
The EFCC says the arrest is based on financial crime allegations and his failure to respond to previous invitations.
In its official statement, the EFCC stated that Otse’s arrest was due to “grave allegations of financial malfeasance,” compounded by his “repeated refusal to honour several invitations”. The commission has asked the public to allow it to conduct its investigation without interference, stressing, “The EFCC should be allowed to do its job without fear or favour” and promising that “as soon as investigations are concluded, charges will be filed”.
The EFCC explained that “Martins Innocent Otse was invited owing to a series of petitions bordering on sundry issues of alleged financial crimes raised against him”. Despite using various communication methods, “He refused to show up in spite of several invitations sent to him”.
Addressing concerns about Otse’s criticism of the agency, the EFCC clarified, “While such conduct is condemnable, his arrest was not informed by such attacks”. The agency defended its detention of Otse by stating, “The EFCC has a lawful right to hold Otse in custody like any other suspect being investigated by the Commission. The appropriate Remand Order was obtained in this regard”. Furthermore, the EFCC mentioned that “Otse has been offered administrative bail and would regain his freedom upon meeting the bail conditions”.
