GTBank Under Fire as Police Arrest Influencer VeryDarkMan Over Alleged Unauthorized Debits Complaint

GTBank Under Fire as Police Arrest Influencer VeryDarkMan Over Alleged Unauthorized Debits Complaint

Popular Nigerian social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan, has been arrested by officers of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja. His arrest, confirmed on Friday, reportedly follows a public outcry he made against Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) over alleged unauthorized debits from his mother’s bank account.

According to Barrister Deji Adeyanju, the legal representative for VeryDarkMan, the arrest was orchestrated at the behest of GTBank.

“My client, VeryDarkMan, was arrested today in Abuja by the Nigerian police. His only offence was speaking out about suspicious and repeated debits from his mother’s GTBank account for loans she never took,” Adeyanju told Journalists

The influencer had earlier posted a video that went viral, documenting his visit to a GTBank branch alongside his mother to challenge repeated loan deductions they claimed were unauthorized.

“Myself and my mom just arrived at GTBank to get an explanation for the constant debit from her account by GTBank in the name of loan repayments that she never took. In this year alone, see the amount of times she has been debited with different amounts,” he wrote.

“We have requested her bank statements so we know when the debiting started. So far, in this year alone, there have been more than seven debits on loan repayments. GTBank staff are cooperating—hopefully, we’ll know why they keep doing this.”

The incident has triggered fresh criticism of GTBank’s handling of customer disputes and their alleged tendency to use law enforcement against vocal critics. This is not the first of such incidents.

On April 14, 2025, SaharaReporters reported a similar case involving Ariyo Ahmed Adewale, who was allegedly arrested following a protest at a Lagos GTBank branch over ₦2 million in disputed transactions linked to the Jumia online platform.

“On Saturday, the 7th of last week, I discovered that N2,000,000 had been debited from my GTBank account without my authorisation,” Ariyo said.

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“I have never used Jumia in my life. I didn’t authorise any purchases or payments, and my card was with me the entire time. My phone was also with me—nobody else had access to it.”

Despite visiting the bank to seek clarification and requesting a detailed statement, Ariyo said he was met with resistance and later told to involve legal counsel.

The recurring pattern of customer grievances followed by arrests is raising serious concerns about the accountability mechanisms within Nigeria’s banking and law enforcement systems.