I’ll sue EFCC if they release mugshot of me for alleged money laundering – VDM

Popular activist Martin ‘VeryDarkMan (VDM)’ Otse has broken his silence two days after his release from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) custody.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the anti-graft agency arrested and detained VDM for six days over alleged financial crimes.

Since his release, the activist has remained silent until Friday, when he posted a video on his Instagram page revealing that his mobile phone is still with the EFCC.

He further alleged that the EFCC logged him out of his iCloud account and threatened legal action against the Commission if it published his mugshot alongside an alleged ‘money laundering’ charge.

This newspaper also gathered that on the day of his release, VDM claimed he was arrested and detained on allegations of money laundering.

He questioned how someone as poor as himself could be involved in such an offence.

He said: “EFCC, now that we’re trying to become friends, let me be honest: what could ruin this new friendship is what I’m about to say. If you (EFCC) release the picture you took of me (the mugshot), and I see ‘money laundering’ written on it, that’s where the problem will start. If we’re going to be friends, where I can help report scammers and other issues, and you arrest and prosecute them, then let’s keep it that way. But if you (EFCC) release my mugshot with ‘money laundering’ on it, you’ll have to prove that charge to Nigerians.

“That might be the first open case we’ll do with every detail posted online. We’ll go to court repeatedly. The EFCC is powerful because it’s the government, but I’ll stress that it damages its reputation and integrity. It will show that many things they post online about people are untrue. They will prove the money laundering; otherwise, it will cast doubt on all the people they’ve arrested and prosecuted for similar charges. If this friendship is genuine, that label, money laundering, has to go. I saw it in detention and told you I would discuss it.”

Money laundering

Meanwhile, the activist said the anti-graft agency can release his mugshot alongside any charges, but gave conditions.

“If the charge is tax evasion, I won’t argue. But if it’s money laundering, if they don’t prove it, then as far as I’m concerned, every charge they post against anyone is questionable. I’ll consider it false, just like what they’ve done to me.

“Now that the EFCC has logged me out of my iCloud, they control everything on that phone, which contains a lot of evidence. That phone is gone, and I suspect they don’t want me to publish anything from it”, said VDM.

Enter GTBank

Additionally, VDM vowed to reveal what transpired at Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank).

His lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, and some of his supporters alleged he was arrested at GTBank, an allegation the bank debunked in a video that showed when VDM left the premises.

This newspaper learnt that before his arrest last Friday, VDM posted on his Instagram page that he was at GTBank with his mother to complain about continuous deductions from her account.

Speaking about his intention to expose what happened at the bank, he said: “As for GTBank, I’m coming for you too. I will expose to the world what you people did. It’s wild. I saw the videos you posted online and thought, ‘What the hell are they doing? Did they think I would die in EFCC custody?’

“The only thing that can save GTBank now is if the EFCC deleted the video. If the videos are still on my phone, GTBank is in trouble. And if the EFCC deleted the video, that’s another problem for the EFCC. “