![EFCC tok why dem arrest Verydarkblackman [VDM]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fichef.bbci.co.uk%2Fnews%2F1024%2Fbranded_pidgin%2F8fef%2Flive%2Fd46358d0-2992-11f0-a5e7-c132ef1a1e68.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
EFCC tok why dem arrest Verydarkblackman [VDM]
Di EFCC confam di arrest of VDM to BBC News Pidgin.
Tok tok pesin of di commission Dele Oyewale on Monday say dem arrest di activist based on petitions by some complainants wey get grievances against VDM.
"We arrest am to respond to series of allegations raised against am by some petitioners" na so Oyewale tok.
Wen we ask am weda di petition dey related to GT Bank, e say di petition na from different pipo and dem owe di petitioners duty to protect dem.
He add say "we go release am wen e meet di bail conditions and we go carry di case go court as soon as possible, we dey law abiding".
E confam say na for Abuja dem arrest di activist.
How di tori comot
Tori bin comot for social media on Friday say VDM bin dey miss, odas tok say EFCC arrest am inside GT Bank. Im supporters begin online protests, some announce say dem go move against di bank.
As at press time, GTBank never issue any statement to dat effect.
For online video wey BBC see for di activist Facebook page, some mentees and supporters of VDM go EFCC office to give di activist food over di weekend, but dem come back say di security officers say nobody dey allowed to go see am or to give am food, say di officers go give am food by dia sef.
Some young pipo tok say dem go do physical protest for Abuja on Monday.
Many Nigerians don enter social media to call for di release of di activist.
Presidential candidate of di Labour Party for Nigeria last elections Peter Obi and popular singer David Adeleke alias Davido follow chook mouth for VDM matter
While Davido dey call for im release, Obi dey condemn di manner dem take arrest di activist say dem arrest am like wia dem dey kidnap pesin.
Activist Omoyele Sowore allege say EFCC arrest VDM to silence am as im be one of di outspoken pipo for di kontri wey dey challenge corruption.
Wetin VDM lawyer tok
Meanwhile lawyer to VDM Mr Deji Adeyanju say na EFCC arrest di activist but dem no happy how di arrest happun.
For statement from di lawyer law firm, dem claim say na for bank premises EFCC officials arrest VDM afta di activist and im mama go do complaint inside di bank.
According to dem di officers lock up VDM for dia Abuja office and wen dem go to see him, di officers say e refuse to see anybody.
Dem also claim say EFCC officials show dem di arrest warrant wey one chief Magistrate Njideka Iloanya Duru sign for di arrest of Martins Otse ontop allegation of cyberstalking.
Di firm say dem go follow up di matter to activate im release, say dem no happy say EFCC no gree tell dem his exact offense.
Who be VDM?
Activist Verydarkblackman na sef acclaimed philanthropist, wey dey controversial for di Nigeria social media space.
Im dey known for confronting goment officials, corruption and pipo wey dey go against di law.
Sake of im activism, im don chop arrest plenti times and get pending court cases for many Nigeria courts.
Actor Rita Edochie enter social media write say VDM dey always stand for di truth.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Goment perfect plans to bring back Nigerians wey dey trapped on forced labour for CAR
Di Nigeria goment don begin moves to bring back a group of Nigerians wey dey stranded for Central African Republic (CAR) afta dia SOS video bin go viral on social media. A statement by di tok-tok pesin of di Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NidCom) Abdur-Rahman Balogun, on Thursday say dem don contact di Nigeria Embassy for CAR to take up di issue. For di viral video, di men claim say na one Chinese company bin recruit dem wit promise say work dey for dem for CAR, but wen dem arrive di kontri, dem first chop arrest and detention for four months bifor security pipo later release dem. "Now, we don work here for six months, dem no pay us anytin. We arrive hia September last year, and delay us for four months for di capital city, dem arrest us, and wen we later come out dem bring us hia for dis bush," di man wey be like di tok-tok pesin for di group tok for di video. E say wia dem dey na one village wey di name na Senye, for di Bambari region of CAR. Bambari na di second largest city for CAR afta di capital Bangui, and for years armed groups bin dey control di area until just about a year ago wen troops from di United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in di Central African Republic (MINUSCA) declare di region free of militias. MINUSCA still dey do peacekeeping work for CAR till date as di kontri still dey struggle wit armed conflicts, especially for mining communities. Di men for di viral video tok say na mining work dem dey for dat village of Senye wia dem dey, but di Nigerian agent for di Chinese company wey carry dem come CAR, don abandon dem run bak to Nigeria. Anoda man wey be citizen of CAR don seize all dia passports so dem no go fit go back. "Even some of us dey ready to transport diasef back to Nigeria, but without our passports, security pipo go arrest us and na straight to prison," dem tok. 'We don secure dia passport bak' - Nigeria goment For di statement wey e release late Thursday, di Nidcom oga Abdur-Rahman Balogun say di commission don establish contact wit di Nigerian men and also retrieve dia passports. "Plans dey on to send a bus wey go carry dem to di embassy for Bangui wey be at least eight hour drive. Di agent in question don also dey identified," di statement tok. Nidcom also thank di Nigeria embassy for CAR for dia "swift action" for di matter. Dis no be di first time dis kind SOS video dey go viral from Nigerians wey dey trapped for forced labour and even prostitution for kontris around di world including African kontris. In July 2024, Nidcom facilitate di return of about 58 young girls wey dia video bin go viral say dem dey trapped for Ghana wia dia captors force dem to dey do prostitution. Dem later return eight more girls from Ghana for September and anoda 13 girls for November of 2024. For April dis year, Nidcom oga kpatakpata Abike Dabiri-Erewa, tok say di commission don recover more dan 200 victims of trafficking for 2025 alone, according to di News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). More dan 50 million pipo for di world dey live for modern day slavery, according to di Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, one international initiative wey di head na former British Prime Minister Theresa May. Wit more dan 1.6 million of Nigeria citizens as victims of modern day slavery and human trafficking, di kontri na di fifth African kontri wit di highest number, according to di commission latest report. Di top five kontris for Africa wit di highest vulnerability to modern slavery for Africa Eritrea, Mauritania, South Sudan, di DRC and Nigeria. Modern day slavery na di removal of somebody freedom to accept or refuse a job, dia freedom to leave one employer for anoda, or dia freedom to decide if, wen, and who to marry, in order to exploit dem for personal or financial gain, according to Walk Free, one international human rights group wey dey fight against modern day slavery. E include forced labour, forced marriage, debt bondage, forced commercial sexual exploitation, human trafficking, slavery-like practices, and di sale and exploitation of children.


BBC News
7 days ago
- BBC News
Fake documents, oda tins wey fit lead to life ban from di United States
Di United States Mission for Nigeria don drop anoda update for Nigerians and oda pipo wey dey try enta dia kontri or already dey dia. Dem say dia interagency efforts dey combat fraud and go end illegal immigration. For one statement for dia social media handle, U.S. tok say dem go ban anybody wey commit visa fraud from di United States for life. Dis statement na di latest development for di United States clamp down on illegal migration. "A nation without borders no be nation", di U.S. further tok. Wit promise say dem go pursue criminal charges against those wey engage in visa fraud and those wey dey bring in and harbour illegal aliens. Exactly one week ago, di United States bin send one strong reminder give foreigners wey dey plan or already dey di kontri say make dem no overstay dia visa or di time wey immigration give dem to stay. U.S. Embassy tok say anybodi wey stay pass di allowed time wey dem give am for America fit face serious wahala. Recently, di United States Mission for Nigeria bin don announce say dem go sweep changes to dia non-immigrant visa policy for Nigeria, wey reduce di duration and conditions under which most Nigerian travellers go fit enta America. Documents wey fit count as fake for U.S. visa application To commit Fraud or lie fit cause serious wahala for U.S. immigration matter wey include visa denials, deportation, and lifetime bans from entering di U.S. Immigration officials dey take lies seriously, and even small misstatements fit lead to serious penalties. Dis na list of tins wey fit attract legal consequences for immigration proccess. Under U.S. immigration law, fraud and misrepresentation na wen pesin provide false informate or withhold important details so e go fit get immigration benefit. One section of di U.S. immigration policy tok say any foreign national wey "by fraud or willfully misrepresent a material fact seeks to procure (or dey try to procure or don procure) visa, oda documentation, or admission into di United States or oda benefit" dey permanently inadmissible. Anoda section tok say anypesin wey make false claim to be U.S. citizen for any immigration benefit or oda purposes fit also lead to permanent ban. Examples According to di U.S. mission Nigeria statement, dis kain tins wey we list above fit cause key penalties wey include: Permanent Ban: Wetin dis one mean be say pesin wey di U.S. sama permanent ban no fit obtain visa, green card, or enta di U.S. unless America grant am waiver. Visa and Green Card Denials: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and di Department of State (DOS) dey review applications for fraud. If dem detect any kind fraud, di application go dey denied. Removal (Deportation) Any pesin U.S. and is found to have committed fraud or misrepresentation, fit dey placed for deportation proceedings. Criminal Charges For some cases, immigration fraud fit lead to criminal prosecution wey cover fraudulent immigration documents. Convictions fit result in fines and imprisonment.


NBC News
16-07-2025
- NBC News
New limits for Nigerian travelers squeeze families and businesses in U.S.
The State Department's move to limit Nigerian travelers to three-month, single-entry visas last week has Nigerian Americans and immigrant communities scrambling to navigate the sudden shift in travel policy and its rippling effects. The tighter restrictions apply only to nonimmigrant and nondiplomatic travelers, who were previously allowed multiple entries to the U.S., for five years in most cases, per visa application. Olatunde Johnson, a 27-year-old photographer, said that his aunts and uncles in Nigeria run multiple Airbnb rentals in Chicago that will now be tougher for them to monitor, and that he feels unable to help because he lives in New Jersey. 'They will have to keep reapplying and doing that again. Also, you're losing money in the process of that. So it's just unnecessary,' he said. The State Department justified the decision, saying it was aimed at reaching 'visa reciprocity' between the U.S. and Nigeria. However, the Nigerian government denied that there is an imbalance and said its relationship with the U.S. has been reciprocal and still is. 'Contrary to misinformation and fake news circulating online, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has never stopped issuing 5-year multiple-entry visas for US citizens, in accordance with the principle of subsisting bilateral agreements and reciprocity,' the government said in a statement. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment from NBC News. Rep. Jonathan Jackson, a Democrat from Illinois who represents part of Chicago and who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, touted the city's 'strong and dynamic Nigerian diaspora.' 'Many have deep roots here and equally deep ties to Nigeria — family, businesses and investments,' Jackson said. 'When we make it harder for them to travel back and forth, to manage their affairs, or even just to visit loved ones, we are not just impacting individuals, we are weakening the very bonds that enrich both our nations.' The State Department's move is part of a multipronged effort under the Trump administration to crack down on immigration to the United States in general. This includes a full ban on travelers from 12 countries and a partial ban on seven others. Nigerians are not banned from entering the U.S., but the restrictions apply mostly to travelers from countries in Africa and the Middle East. Johnson said he thinks the visa decision by the Trump administration is 'spreading out a whole lot of stress and unnecessary pain.' He said getting a visa to the U.S. had already been difficult for Africans, and the administration is making entry requirements even more strict. As a region, African countries had the highest rate of F-1 student visa denials in the world from 2015 to 2022, according to a study released last year by Shorelight and the President's Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, both nonprofits that support international students on U.S. campuses. Last year, 46.5% of Nigerian applicants for temporary business visas were denied, according to State Department records. Bobby Digi Olisa, 51, who lives in New York, said the new restrictions will affect how often he sees his siblings, who aren't U.S. citizens and live in Nigeria. He is particularly concerned about his siblings' ability to afford multiple visa applications each year to visit the U.S. 'It will cause hardship with all of the ballooning costs,' he said. Currently visa applicants must pay a $185 fee to enter the U.S. for tourist, business, student and exchange visas, among others. Starting Oct. 1, there will be an additional $250 Visa Integrity Fee, which will increase with inflation, per the Big Beautiful Bill Act. Ovigwe Eguegu, a policy analyst at Development Reimagined, an international consulting firm with a focus on Africa, said complaints over family reunification from Olisa and others will not put enough pressure on the U.S. government for it to reverse course, but he thinks it will affect how the Nigerian government responds. Eguegu said families like Olatunde Johnson's will be affected due to their long-term ties to the U.S., which require about five entries throughout the year for business. However, he cautions, 'wait time for visa processing is very, very long, and it costs a serious amount of money, too. So the preference has always been for multiple re-entry over a long period of time, as opposed to single entry capped at three months of a maximum stage.' Jackson said the restrictions, more broadly, weakened people-to-people ties and undermined effective diplomacy. 'My travels have taught me that true diplomacy and strong international relations are built on understanding, trust and facilitating human connection,' Jackson said. 'We must find a way to address any legitimate security concerns without undermining the critical economic and cultural bridges that link communities like Chicago with Nigeria.' Johnson's frustration is being echoed throughout the world toward the Trump administration. 'We the people, wherever you are, we're always the ones losing when the government is playing games,' he told NBC News. But despite the 'pain' inflicted on Nigerians, Olisa stressed: 'This too shall pass, we shall overcome.'