By Ayomide Otitoju
The recent arrest of social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has sparked a wave of misinformation on social media, with Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) becoming an unwarranted target of public criticism.
VDM had visited a GTBank branch in Abuja earlier in the day to report suspected unauthorized transactions on his mother’s account. Hours later, he was arrested—prompting many online users to falsely link the bank to the incident.
However, human rights lawyer and VDM’s legal counsel, Deji Adeyanju, has clarified that the arrest did not occur at the bank but in another area of Abuja. He further confirmed that the arrest was carried out by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), not bank personnel.
“There is no connection between GTBank and the arrest,” Adeyanju stated.
Despite the clarification, GTBank faced intense backlash online, highlighting a growing trend of scapegoating institutions based on conjecture rather than verified facts.
Analysts warn that such misinformation threatens corporate reputations and undermines public trust. “This case underscores the dangers of viral assumptions in the age of social media,” one observer noted.
GTBank, one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions, has maintained regulatory compliance throughout the incident. There is no evidence of wrongdoing or complicity in VDM’s arrest.
Observers have called for more responsible public discourse and greater scrutiny of viral claims, especially in cases involving sensitive legal proceedings.
