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Claim: A Facebook page, Agozi Comedy, claimed that Barrister Deji Adeyanju, the brother of social media activist VeryDarkMan (VDM), cried out that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) rearrested VDM at his residence on the morning of May 10, 2025.
Verdict: Misleading. The EFCC or his legal counsel has not officially confirmed any rearrest of VDM. Furthermore, the video used to support the claim is outdated—it shows Deji Adeyanju leading a protest in Abuja on June 12, 2024, unrelated to the alleged incident.
Full Text
Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), was initially arrested by the EFCC on May 2, 2025, following multiple petitions accusing him of financial crimes. Released on May 7, 2025, after spending five days in EFCC custody, the anti-graft agency justified his arrest by citing his repeated failure to honour invitations for questioning.
After his release, VDM publicly denied the EFCC’s allegations, especially money laundering claims. In a video, he explained that his philanthropic ventures were supported through loans, not illegal sources of income.
However, on May 10, 2025, the Facebook page Agozi Comedy claimed that the EFCC had rearrested VDM at the residence of his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju. The post included a two-minute, nine-second video, supposedly showing Adeyanju and VDM’s brother raising alarm over the incident.
As of May 15, 2025, the post had generated over 6,000 views, 170 likes, and 25 comments. Due to public interest and growing engagement around the post, DUBAWA decided to investigate the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA extracted keyframes from the video accompanying the claim and conducted a reverse image search on Google. This revealed that the video shows Deji Adeyanju during a protest in Abuja on June 12, 2024, unrelated to any incident involving VDM’s arrest.
A keyword search for “VDM + arrest” yielded no credible reports about a new arrest. Given VDM’s public profile, reputable news organisations would likely cover a rearrest by the EFCC. However, no such reports were found.
DUBAWA observed that the most recent news about VDM was his re-arrest by the police on May 15, 2025, over allegations of cyberbullying Nollywood actresses and others.
DUBAWA contacted VDM’s legal counsel, Deji Adeyanju, via his official X handle (@adeyanjugeji) to confirm the alleged rearrest, but he had not responded as of the time this report was filed.
However, a review of Deji Adeyanju’s and the EFCC’s official X handles revealed no statements or updates regarding VDM’s rearrest.
Conclusion
No credible evidence supports the claim that the EFCC rearrested VDM after his May 7, 2025, release. The video shared with the post is not recent, and no official statements or media reports have confirmed such an event.
