Nigeria has a long tradition of people who speak truth to power, from the Afrobeat rebellions of Fela Kuti to the fiery journalism of Dele Giwa. In the social media age, a new voice has emerged in that tradition, and he comes from a place nobody expected. He does not have a law degree or a political party behind him.
He has a phone, a camera, and a willingness to say what most people are afraid to whisper. Martins Vincent Otse, known to the internet as Verydarkman or VDM, has in just a few years become one of the most talked about, most feared, and most controversial figures in Nigerian public life.
He has taken on crossdressers, celebrities, pastors, banks and government agencies, and each time he has been arrested, the public outrage that follows has only made him more powerful. This is his story.
Who Is Verydarkman
Verydarkman, also known as VDM or Veryblackman, is a Nigerian social media activist, content creator, and influencer whose real name is Martins Vincent Otse. He first came to national attention around 2022 and 2023 through a series of videos in which he called out injustice, exposed alleged scams, confronted celebrities over perceived moral inconsistencies, and challenged Nigerian institutions in ways that resonated deeply with ordinary people frustrated by the country’s many systemic failures.
He is known for his bluntness, his fearlessness, and his refusal to be silenced even when facing legal consequences. By 2024 and 2025, he had become one of the most consistently discussed names in Nigerian social media, and his arrests had sparked public protests in Abuja and renewed national conversations about freedom of speech.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Real Name | Martins Vincent Otse |
| Alias | Verydarkman, VDM, Veryblackman |
| Date of Birth | Disputed — March 8, 1996 or April 8, 1994 |
| Age (2026) | Approximately 30 to 31 years old |
| State of Origin | Edo State, Nigeria |
| Raised In | Lagos State and Abuja |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Ethnicity | Edo/Igbo (various sources differ) |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Occupation | Social Media Activist, Content Creator, Influencer |
| Relationship Status | Single (not publicly in a relationship) |
The Question of His Date of Birth
One of the few genuinely murky facts about Verydarkman is his exact date of birth. Different credible sources give different dates. Some place his birthday on March 8, 1996, while others say April 8, 1994.
He has not publicly settled the matter definitively, which is unusual but perhaps fitting for a man who seems to enjoy keeping certain things about himself under wraps even as he demands radical transparency from everyone else. What most sources agree on is that he is in his early thirties as of 2026.
Early Life and Background
Verydarkman was born in Edo State, Nigeria, though he grew up between Lagos State and Abuja. His upbringing was not one of privilege. By multiple accounts, his family background was modest, with his father working as a mechanic and his mother involved in caregiving work.
He has spoken about his early years as a period of genuine financial difficulty, and he has been open about the fact that he had to fend for himself at a young age. In Ikorodu, Lagos, where he completed part of his schooling, he experienced what many young Nigerians from working-class families experience: the gap between ambition and circumstance, and the need to hustle harder than most just to keep up.
These early experiences of financial hardship and watching institutions fail ordinary people appear to have been formative. They help explain why, when he eventually found an audience on social media, his most passionate and consistent targets were not random. They were the powerful, the corrupt, the exploitative, and the dishonest, the exact forces that make life harder for the kind of people he grew up among.
Family
His Father
His father, Mr. Vincent Otse, is from Edo State and is described as a mechanic. Verydarkman has occasionally referenced his parents in his videos, most notably in 2025 when he visited a branch of Guaranty Trust Bank to report what he described as a fraudulent loan approval that had been made using his mother’s National Identification Number without her consent. That visit led to his arrest by the EFCC, an incident that provoked widespread outrage and protests across the country. The fact that a visit to a bank to protect his mother’s identity could result in his detention became one of the most discussed aspects of the entire VDM saga.
His Elder Brother
His elder brother, Macquinn Otse Vincent, is involved in multiple ventures including car dealing, general contracting, fitness coaching, and skit-making. Macquinn has appeared occasionally in content connected to VDM but has maintained a lower public profile than his younger brother. Verydarkman is generally careful about not exposing the full details of his family, describing the privacy he keeps around other siblings as a deliberate protective measure.
Relationship Status
Verydarkman is not publicly in a romantic relationship and does not have any known children. He has kept his personal romantic life extremely private, which contrasts sharply with the openness of his public persona. He has addressed the subject occasionally on social media, generally to shut down rumours or speculation. He often refers to his followers as his family, a community he interacts with regularly and for whom he has sometimes provided financial assistance.
Education
Primary and Secondary School
Verydarkman completed his primary and secondary school education in Ikorodu, Lagos State. These were years that he has described as tough, navigating a demanding environment with limited resources. Not much detail has been made public about the specific schools he attended, but the period appears to have been a grounding one that sharpened both his street-level awareness and his sense of what fairness and unfairness look like in practice.
University of Lagos
After completing his secondary education, Verydarkman gained admission to the University of Lagos, one of Nigeria’s most prestigious universities, where he studied Business Administration and earned his degree. Getting into the University of Lagos from the background he came from was itself an achievement, and the academic training he received there likely contributed to the analytical and communicative skills that would later make his social media content so effective. He graduated and went on to build his career through social media marketing before transitioning into activism.
Career
Starting Out: Social Media Marketing
Before Verydarkman became the fearless activist that Nigeria knows today, he was working as a social media marketer. He built his initial understanding of digital platforms and audience engagement through commercial work, learning how content moves on the internet and what makes people stop scrolling and pay attention. This professional background gave him a technical foundation that would prove enormously useful when he shifted his focus to activism and content creation.
The Rise of VDM: 2022 to 2023
VDM’s rise to prominence happened fast. Around 2022, he began posting videos in which he addressed social issues with a directness and an intensity that was different from what most Nigerian social media users were used to seeing. He called out people and institutions by name. He did not hedge his language. He made accusations and backed them with audio recordings, screenshots, and testimonies.
His early content focused heavily on exposing alleged scams and defending victims of exploitation, and audiences responded enthusiastically. By 2023, his videos were going viral across Instagram and TikTok, and his follower count was growing rapidly. Ordinary Nigerians who felt that institutions were failing them found in VDM a voice that said out loud what they were only thinking privately.
Among his most significant early campaigns was his assault on skincare brand Jenny’s Glow. He accused the brand of unethical practices and made it one of the most scrutinised beauty businesses in Nigeria. His campaign contributed to NAFDAC eventually closing down the brand’s Abuja office after several regulatory violations were uncovered. For his supporters, this was proof that one person with a platform and the willingness to use it could hold businesses accountable in ways that regulators had failed to do. For his critics, it raised questions about due process and the power of social media to destroy businesses without formal investigation.
Taking On Bobrisky
One of the defining episodes of VDM’s career was his public battle with Bobrisky, the popular Nigerian crossdresser. The conflict began publicly in early 2024 when an interview with Bobrisky went viral. VDM, who had been critical of Bobrisky’s public persona and behaviour for some time, escalated matters dramatically when he released what he claimed was an audio recording in which Bobrisky appeared to boast about bribing EFCC officials with fifteen million naira to have money laundering charges against them dropped. In the same recording, allegations were also made implicating rapper Falz and his father, prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana, in helping Bobrisky evade justice.
The response was enormous. The EFCC invited both VDM and Bobrisky for questioning. Falana’s chambers issued a twenty-four-hour ultimatum demanding VDM retract his statements and apologise. Bobrisky denied the bribery claims and alleged the recording was generated using artificial intelligence. VDM refused to back down. Falz clarified publicly that Bobrisky had called him seeking financial assistance to pay officials, which he had declined. Bobrisky later sued VDM for one billion naira in defamation. As of 2026, various aspects of that legal battle remain active.
Challenging Pastors and Faith Healers
One recurring thread in VDM’s activism is his willingness to challenge religious figures, particularly those who operate what he considers fraudulent spiritual enterprises. When music director TG Omori publicly revealed in 2024 that he was battling kidney failure, VDM used the moment to publicly challenge self-proclaimed miracle workers, daring them to prove the reality of their powers by healing Omori. He also targeted Prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin specifically for selling what he described as miracle water and other spiritual items, going as far as urging the EFCC to investigate. These interventions positioned him as a secular critic of religious exploitation at a time when such voices were rare and often punished in Nigeria’s deeply religious public space.
GTBank and the 2025 EFCC Arrest
On May 2, 2025, VDM visited a Guaranty Trust Bank branch in the Area 3 district of Garki, Abuja, to report what he alleged was the fraudulent use of his mother’s National Identification Number to approve a loan without her consent. He was arrested immediately after leaving the bank. The manner of his arrest was itself controversial. His lawyers said EFCC operatives detained him at the bank’s exit door, but CCTV footage later indicated that the actual arrest took place in the car park. He was held for five days.
The public reaction was immediate and intense. Protests broke out in Abuja, with demonstrators carrying signs that read “Free VDM” and “Activism is not a crime.” Online support flooded in from across Nigeria, with many viewing the arrest as a government attempt to silence a critic who had made too many powerful enemies. Even Femi Falana, who was at the time in the middle of a one-billion-naira lawsuit against VDM, made calls to the EFCC challenging the legality of the detention. VDM was released on administrative bail on May 7, 2025. His lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, confirmed the release and stated that he had undertaken to produce VDM whenever required by the commission or the court.
The Full Timeline of Legal Troubles
VDM’s legal history is extensive and reveals just how much his activism has cost him in terms of personal freedom and peace of mind.
In March 2024, he was first arrested on allegations of cyberbullying and cyberstalking, connected to Instagram videos in which he made accusations against several Nollywood actresses and public figures. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody for nearly two weeks before being released on bail.
In May 2024, he was formally arraigned at the Federal High Court in Abuja on five counts of cyberstalking. The charges stemmed from alleged online harassment of the Nigeria Police Force and Nollywood actresses Iyabo Ojo and Tonto Dikeh.
In June 2024, he faced further arrest in Abuja over defamation-related allegations.
In September 2024, the EFCC invited him for questioning following his release of the Bobrisky audio recording about alleged bribery. That same month, Falana and Falana Chambers issued a formal letter demanding retraction and apology.
In September 2024, Bobrisky filed a one-billion-naira defamation lawsuit against him.
In February 2025, VDM publicly raised the alarm that the EFCC was plotting his re-arrest in retaliation for sustained online criticism of EFCC Chairman Olanipekun Olukoyede.
In March 2025, a Chief Magistrate Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant for his arrest over alleged criminal defamation of gospel singer Mercy Chinwo, after he failed to appear in court following a summons.
In May 2025 came the GTBank-linked EFCC arrest and subsequent five-day detention described above.
The MVOI Foundation
Despite the controversies and legal troubles, Verydarkman has built a reputation for genuine charity work that his supporters point to whenever critics argue that he is purely destructive. In 2024, he founded the MVOI Foundation, an NGO focused on community relief. Through the organisation, he has provided food items to vulnerable families, supported individuals with medical bills, donated towards education initiatives, and championed youth empowerment causes. During livestreams, he has also pledged funds directly to individuals in distress and mobilised his followers to raise money for specific needs. For the people who have benefited from these interventions, the controversy surrounding VDM is secondary to the fact that he showed up when nobody else did.
Philanthropy and Community Support
Beyond his formal foundation, VDM has used his platform in more informal ways to support people in need. He has advocated for student protests over unpaid lecturers’ salaries, arguing publicly that the decay of Nigeria’s education system was destroying the futures of young people. He has amplified individual stories of injustice that might otherwise have been ignored. And his regular engagement with his followers, sometimes including direct financial assistance, has created a community around him that sees itself as more than just an audience.
Personal Controversies
No biography of Verydarkman would be complete without acknowledging the most personal controversy tied to his name. He has himself admitted that in earlier years, he created and sold adult content online in order to survive financially. Several explicit clips from that period later leaked on social media, including material that was deeply embarrassing. The leaks were widely circulated, partly by those who wanted to undermine his credibility as a moral voice. VDM addressed the matter publicly and did not deny his past, choosing instead to acknowledge it and continue his work.
The episode complicated his public image significantly, but it also illustrated a broader truth about his story: that he is someone who came from difficult circumstances, made choices he later moved away from, and built something meaningful in spite of all of that.
He was also not invited to Davido’s 2025 wedding in Miami, an absence that generated its own headlines given that the two had once been on good terms. This was widely attributed to the closeness VDM had shown to Burna Boy, who is considered a rival of Davido in the Nigerian music industry.
Net Worth
Estimating the net worth of someone like Verydarkman is genuinely difficult because his income streams are less conventional than those of a recording artist or a fashion designer. His money comes from social media monetisation across Instagram and TikTok, brand endorsements and sponsorships, content creation fees, live appearances and events, his NGO and foundation activities, and whatever business income flows from his various ventures.
Different sources give wildly different figures. Conservative estimates place his net worth somewhere between fifty million and two hundred million naira, which is roughly between one hundred thousand and five hundred thousand US dollars. Some higher projections suggest figures between nine hundred thousand and one and a half million dollars, though these are less consistently supported by evidence. A realistic working estimate based on multiple credible sources is somewhere in the range of one hundred million naira, approximately two hundred and forty thousand US dollars, with the understanding that his earning capacity is growing and his commercial appeal, however polarising, is undeniable.
| Source of Income | Details |
|---|---|
| Social Media Monetisation | Instagram and TikTok platforms |
| Brand Endorsements | Partnerships with companies seeking access to his audience |
| Content Creation | Videos, livestreams, and sponsored content |
| MVOI Foundation | NGO activities with donor support |
| Live Appearances | Events and public engagements |
Estimated net worth in 2026: approximately fifty million to two hundred million naira, roughly between $120,000 and $500,000 USD.
Legacy and Influence
Whatever one thinks of Verydarkman, and opinions about him are rarely moderate, there is no denying the impact he has had on Nigerian public discourse in a very short period of time. He has shown that a single person with a phone and an internet connection can take on brands, celebrities, religious figures, financial institutions, and government agencies and make them answer publicly for their actions. He has shown that activism in Nigeria does not require a law degree, a political party, or a formal organisation. He has also shown that the price of speaking truth to power in Nigeria can be arrest, legal harassment, and sustained institutional pressure.
The arrests have not silenced him. The lawsuits have not broken him. The leaked videos from his past have not destroyed him. If anything, each of these attempts to diminish him has tended to increase his public profile and strengthen the loyalty of his followers. Whether he evolves into a more formal political or civic actor, continues as a social media force, or takes some entirely unexpected direction, Verydarkman has already left a mark on how Nigerians engage with power online. That, whatever else you say about him, is not nothing.