Nigerian Controversial social media activist Martin Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan has admitted to fabricating the story of ₦180 million allegedly missing from his NGO’s account.
According to him, the false story was an experiment to highlight how Nigerians readily believe and spread unverified information on social media.
In a video posted on his Instagram account, VeryDarkMan addressed the backlash and revealed the rationale behind the stunt.
“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.”
The activist, known for using his platform to advocate for victims of scams and raise awareness about fraud, expressed frustration over the insults he received. He explained how people vilified him without critical thought.
“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 condemned how quickly social media users jumped to conclusions without analysing 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 went further to criticise the culture of misinformation on social media, comparing his fabricated story to 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 sparked widespread debate about his approach. While some supported his message about digital literacy, others have criticised his approach as deceptive and manipulative.
