The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, Abuja, has stated that it is neither aware of nor investigating the alleged theft of N180 million from the account of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) owned by social media influencer and activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.
Reports emerged on Friday through NewdayReporters that hackers allegedly infiltrated the NGO account belonging to Otse and diverted approximately N180 million. Otse, who disclosed the breach on his Instagram account, revealed that a suspect had already been apprehended in connection with the crime.
Providing further details, Otse explained that the compromised account has been placed on Payment Network Disconnection (PND) to prevent further unauthorized transactions. He added that N160 million had already been transferred to an undisclosed account, while the remaining N20 million still resides within the hacked account.
This shocking development comes shortly after the launch of the Martins Vincent Osei Initiative in October. The initiative gained significant traction, raising over N35 million in donations within hours of its unveiling. In addition, Otse received a substantial N100 million donation from renowned music producer Michael Collins Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy.
In a video shared on Instagram, Otse expressed his frustration and revealed his plans to address the issue. “Alright. So I’m at the airport. I’ll be honest with you guys, for the past few days, I’ve not been myself. I am here with Officer Joe, and we are going to Jos. The NGO money somebody hacked into the NGO website, and I don’t know how they did it. N180 million naira is missing. But thank God, we have tracked the person, and we are on our way to Jos,” he said.
However, when contacted for clarification on the matter, the FCT Police Command distanced itself from the case. Speaking with The Punch on Saturday, Josephine Adeh, the FCT Police Command spokesperson, stated that the Command had no record of such a case being reported to them and was not conducting any investigation related to it.
“The FCT Police Command is not aware of any case involving VeryDarkMan’s missing funds and is not conducting any investigation into it. The individual in question should be contacted to clarify where the matter was reported, as there is no record of such a case with the FCT Police Command,” she explained.
The incident has sparked widespread concern, particularly regarding the security of funds entrusted to NGOs and the need for heightened cybersecurity measures in handling such large-scale donations.
