Controversial social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has admitted to fabricating a story about N180 million allegedly missing from his NGO’s account.
In a video shared on his Instagram account, VeryDarkMan revealed that the false claim was an experiment aimed at exposing how easily Nigerians believe and spread unverified information on social media.
READ ALSO: VeryDarkMan claims N180m stolen from NGO account
“Alright, since the N180 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 advocating against scams and raising fraud awareness, expressed frustration over the insults he received following the stunt.
“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.
He further lamented personal attacks directed at him and his family, saying, “Some people were even insulting my mother, calling her a thief.”
VeryDarkMan criticised social media users for their quick judgment without verification. “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 said.
He questioned the lack of scrutiny regarding his story, noting how users readily spread misinformation without critical analysis.
“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,” he said.
Mocking the rapid spread of the narrative, he added, “Boom! They just want to comment: ‘N180 million is missing, VeryDarkMan is a thief.’ Nobody sat down to analyze, ‘Wait, the VeryDarkMan we know-if N180 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?”
He also referenced other instances of misinformation on social media, comparing them to his fabricated story.
“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 stance, he declared, “80% of you on social media are very, very stupid.”
