By Charles Pemu 
LAGOS — In what appears to be a growing online protest, over 100,000 Nigerians have reportedly emptied their accounts with Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) in the past 24 hours, following public outrage tied to the recent arrest of social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).
Sources close to the situation say the bank’s official social media pages have been inundated with more than 13,000 user reports since Sunday, with customers accusing the institution of being complicit in VDM’s arrest after he called out the bank over alleged unauthorized deductions from his mother’s account.
Both Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store have seen a flood of negative reviews and one-star ratings directed at GTBank’s mobile app, with users citing poor customer service, unresolved complaints, and now, perceived political bias.
The development comes just days after GTBank announced a historic milestone — becoming the first Nigerian bank to hit ₦1 trillion in profit. However, critics are now calling the timing of VDM’s arrest and the public fallout a “deliberate setup” aimed at tarnishing the bank’s image at its peak.
“This was a coordinated takedown,” allegedly as speculated, “They hit ₦1 trillion profit and immediately got dragged into controversy. They walked straight into it.”
Although the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has maintained that VDM’s arrest stems from multiple cyberstalking complaints, the narrative on social media has tied the incident directly to his recent outburst at a GTBank branch, where he filmed himself demanding answers over alleged fraudulent transactions.
Public figures like Omoyele Sowore have condemned the arrest as “an attempt to silence” a vocal critic of institutional misconduct, further fueling the backlash against both the EFCC and GTBank.
As of today, Monday 5, May 2025. GTBank has not issued an official statement addressing the online campaign or the account closures. However, sources within the banking sector suggest crisis management teams are already working to contain the fallout.
Digital rights activists warn that the episode reflects growing public distrust in both financial institutions and law enforcement agencies, especially when controversial arrests coincide with viral online criticism.
GTBank’s stock performance and regulatory standing may now face closer scrutiny in the coming days as both customers and analysts await the bank’s response.