DSS Questions VeryDarkMan Over Leaked Coup Trial Video

By Opeyemi Adelakun

Popular social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, has confirmed that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) questioned him over a leaked video connected to an ongoing coup trial.

The interrogation followed a directive by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the circulation of the restricted footage.

The video was reportedly tendered as evidence in the trial of individuals accused of plotting to overthrow the administration of President Bola Tinubu. The case stems from arrests made in 2024.

During proceedings on June 23 and 24, Director of Public Prosecutions Rotimi Oyedepo informed the court that the restricted video had surfaced on VeryDarkMan’s social media platforms despite an existing court order barring its public dissemination.

Speaking about the development on Thursday, the influencer disclosed that he spent several hours at the DSS office responding to questions before being released in the early hours of the morning.

“I got home around 2 a.m. this morning after spending hours at the DSS office, where I was interrogated and investigated over a video I posted four days ago,” he said.

According to him, investigators sought to determine how he obtained the footage. He maintained that he provided a full account of the circumstances surrounding the video and denied any role in leaking it.

VeryDarkMan explained that as a public figure, his phone number is accessible to many people and that media files are often sent to him by unknown individuals. He added that his mobile device automatically downloads incoming media files, regardless of the sender’s identity.

The influencer stressed that he neither created nor altered the footage and insisted he had no involvement in its original release.

The DSS has yet to issue an official statement on the outcome of the investigation, while the court-ordered probe into the source of the leaked video remains ongoing.