07/05/2025
EFCC’s Case Against Martins Innocent Otse: A Controversial Arrest and Unanswered Questions
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has issued a statement defending its investigation of Martins Innocent Otse, a suspect accused of financial crimes based on multiple petitions. However, disturbing details surrounding his arrest contradict the agency’s official narrative and raise serious concerns about legality, transparency, and possible abuse of power.
The Contradictory Narratives
1. EFCC’s Claim vs. Eyewitness Accounts
The EFCC insists Otse ignored several invitations before his lawful arrest, supported by a Remand Order, and states that administrative bail has been offered. However, eyewitnesses—including Otse’s friend who was briefly detained—report a violent and irregular apprehension:
- Otse was kidnapped in broad daylight after assisting his mother at a bank.
- The assailants, unidentified and without official tags, claimed to be DSS operatives but later turned out to be EFCC.
- He was allegedly beaten before being whisked away, a detail absent from the EFCC’s sanitized press release.
Human rights lawyer VDM Lawyal, who is assisting Otse, has not seen any bail documents, directly contradicting the EFCC’s claim that bail was offered.
2. A Pattern of Questionable Arrests?
The EFCC acknowledges Otse’s past criticisms of the agency but denies retaliation. Yet, the clandestine nature of his arrest—akin to an abduction—fuels suspicions of punitive action rather than procedural law enforcement.
If the EFCC indeed made the arrest, why did operatives hide their identities and initially pose as DSS? This tactic mirrors past incidents where security agencies conducted extrajudicial pickups to avoid scrutiny.
3. Legal and Ethical Implications
- Remand Order Validity: While the EFCC cites a Remand Order, its failure to produce bail paperwork to Otse’s lawyers undermines its credibility.
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