Controversial social media activist Martin Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan, has confessed to fabricating the story about ₦180 million allegedly missing from his NGO’s account.
“Alright, since the ₦180 million naira missing from the NGO account, I have been seeing a lot of comments that I never expected,” he said. “But I really want to thank God because everything I have done on this social media, I have done it because this is who I am. I did not do it to seek public validation.”
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The activist, recognized for leveraging his platform to advocate for scam victims and raise awareness about fraud, voiced his frustration over the insults directed at him. He shared how people had vilified him without taking the time to critically assess the situation.
“I saw all those comments, and I asked myself, what is my offence? All I do on social media is to advocate, help people collect back their money, and create awareness so people won’t be scammed. Most times, I even put my money into these efforts, sometimes borrowing, because I want Nigeria to be a place where people have a voice,” he stated.
“Some people were even insulting my mother, calling her a thief,” he added.
VeryDarkMan criticized how quickly social media users rushed to judgment without taking the time to analyze the situation.
He declared, “You know 80% of the people that use social media are stupid, right? This whole thing that happened is a clear opportunity to show you. I deliberately did it to show you people that you are stupid.”
He questioned why no one scrutinised the story. “We are in a country where anything said on social media, nobody bothers to check, nobody bothers to investigate. Everybody starts sharing, they start running away with it. They don’t even waste time to listen; they just want to comment.”
Mocking the way the false narrative spread, he continued, “Boom! They just want to comment: ‘₦180 million is missing, VeryDarkMan is a thief.’ Nobody sat down to analyze, ‘Wait, the VeryDarkMan we know—if ₦180 million is missing from his NGO account, will he be going to Jos instead of Abuja where the police, EFCC, and cybercrime headquarters are located?’ What is he going to do in Jos?”
The activist also took the opportunity to criticize the culture of misinformation on social media, drawing a comparison between his fabricated story and other unverified claims.
“The whole media has been spoilt, has been ruined. That’s why one man from Niger came recently and said the French government gave Tinubu money to open a military base in the North East. Nobody sat down to ask, ‘Did this man present any evidence? Did he show a video or proof of the foundation being laid?’ He just said it, and boom, that’s it!”
Reiterating his point, VeryDarkMan declared, “80% of you on social media are very, very stupid.”
The activist’s revelation ignited a heated debate over his methods. While some praised his message on digital literacy, others criticized his approach as deceptive and manipulative.