…Lawyers Cry Foul Over Alleged Rights Violations
Human rights law firm, Deji Adeyanju & Partners, has raised serious concerns over the arrest of popular social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, and his associate, Steven Avuara (a.k.a C-Pack), by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja.
In a statement signed by Zainab M. Otega, Esq., the firm disclosed that the duo was picked up on 2 May 2025, immediately after exiting a Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) branch in Garki, Area 3, Abuja. The firm said their clients were arrested by officers attached to the EFCC’s Special Duty Committee (SDC) Unit 4.
According to the statement, the arrest followed inquiries made by Otse, his mother Mrs. Blessing Otse, and Avuara regarding suspicious deductions from Mrs. Otse’s bank account. Upon concluding their inquiries, the trio was allegedly locked inside the bank’s security door for over five minutes before being accosted by armed men dressed in black, who blindfolded and beat them before taking them into custody.
The law firm reported that Otse has remained uncommunicative, allegedly due to the trauma suffered during the arrest. Avuara claimed that EFCC officers labelled them “bandits” and threatened to shoot Otse in the presence of his mother. While the duo was taken to the EFCC’s Jabi headquarters, the whereabouts of Mrs. Otse remain unknown.
Despite demands from the firm’s lawyers for clarity on the allegations, EFCC officers reportedly declined to disclose details, only presenting an arrest warrant for Otse issued by Chief Magistrate N. Iloanya-Duru of Wuse Zone 2 over alleged cyberstalking.
The firm decried what it called a “clear breach” of Avuara’s constitutional rights, stating that EFCC officers sought to interrogate him without first informing him of the allegations.
Deji Adeyanju & Partners has vowed to continue engaging with the EFCC to ensure the enforcement of their clients’ rights and has called on the Commission to respect constitutionally guaranteed freedoms.
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