Claim of missing N180m was a prank – VDM

Social media commentator and self-acclaimed activist Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has confessed that his recent claim of a ₦180 million theft from his NGO account was fabricated to “teach people a lesson.”

In a video posted on his Instagram page on Tuesday, VDM admitted that the story was a deliberate attempt to highlight the dangers of spreading unverified information. He explained that the entire incident was staged to demonstrate the widespread lack of scrutiny over media reports.

VDM stated, “This whole thing that happened with the ₦180 million, I deliberately did it to show how gullible people can be. We live in a country where nobody bothers to check or investigate anything that is said in the media. All I did was tell my website team to shut it down first. I wanted to use this situation to make people realize they need to be smarter because it is evident that many of you are quite clueless.”

He continued, “It’s time to start asking for proof. Did I show you the details of the account when I said my ₦180 million was missing?”

VDM also pointed out how the Nigerian entertainment industry and social media thrive on controversy, saying, “Nowadays, musicians need to create controversy to get noticed, and the same goes for movies. That’s how dire the media situation has become.”

He emphasized the importance of demanding proof and evidence before spreading narratives, stating, “The way people get excited about bad news is concerning. They don’t even take the time to analyze anything anymore. This is a problem, and that’s why the media has become corrupted.”

VeryDarkMan addressed criticism of his actions as well, refuting claims that he presented a taxi driver as a police officer. “I never said that guy was a police officer. Go back to my video and tell me where I said ‘police.’ I said I’m traveling with Officer Sam. An officer could be from the Air Force, Navy, Civil Defence, or even the Task Force.”

He also criticized another narrative regarding France establishing a military base in Nigeria, asking, “Can anyone provide proof that France is establishing a military base in Nigeria? No one will be able to prove it.”

VDM reiterated his criticism of social media users, urging them to demand proof and evidence before spreading information. “Different narratives will emerge because people don’t think critically. The media can easily manipulate you,” he warned.

In a separate video, he revealed the bank statement of the NGO account, showing a closing balance of ₦XX million as of December 31, which indicated no transactions on the day he posted about the supposed theft. “No money was lost. The e-bank statement will be provided. The total amount in this account is ₦XX million. There’s no one like me in Nigeria. I’m the only one who can pull this off,” he claimed.

It would recalled that last Friday VDM claimed over ₦180 million was stolen from his NGO’s account due to a hacking incident. He later revealed on Sunday that ₦78 million of the allegedly stolen amount has been recovered.