A law firm representing Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, and Steven Avuara, aka C-Pack, has issued a statement regarding their clients’ arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). According to the firm, Avuara was released on May 2, 2025, after their intervention, while Otse remains in custody.
“We note with grave concern that four days after officers of the EFCC arrested our client, the Commission is yet to formally inform him of the specific reason for his arrest,” the statement read. The EFCC’s Special Duties Committee interrogated Otse for several hours on May 5, 2025, in the presence of the firm’s Founding Partner, Marvin Omorogbe, Esq.
The interrogation focused on Otse’s handling of Naira notes at a club, alleged monetization of his social media posts, and comments about a Nigerian Gospel Artist, as well as his tax affairs. The law firm expressed concern that the EFCC’s actions suggest they are “fishing for evidence to justify the arrest” rather than investigating specific allegations.
The firm emphasized that the EFCC’s powers to investigate financial crimes, as streamlined by the Supreme Court in Nwobike v F.R.N and Nwaboshi v F.R.N, do not justify the Commission’s actions in this case. The law firm believes that Otse’s continuous detention beyond the constitutional limit is illegal and has called on the EFCC to immediately charge him to court or release him.
“We demand that the Commission adheres to the rule of law, upholds the principles of justice, integrity, and devotion to the law,” the statement added. The law firm thanked Nigerians for their interest in the case and urged them to refrain from taking the law into their own hands while exercising their right to protest.