Customs Agent Denies ₦96m Fraud Allegations By VeryDarkMan, Clarifies Business Dispute
LAGOS, NIGERIA — A licensed Customs Clearing and Freight-Forwarding Agent, Mr. Fawole Abiola Aremu has strongly denied allegations of fraud levelled against him by online personality Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as “VeryDarkMan,” describing the issue as a purely civil commercial dispute between business partners.
In a press briefing issued from Lagos, Mr. Aremu, a veteran practitioner with 23 years of unblemished professional standing, sought to set the record straight regarding his transaction with Dr. Israel Agimor Eshanekpe and Agimor Group Limited.
According to the statement, the dispute arose from a July 2026 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) where Dr. Eshanekpe committed to providing ₦200,000,000 to finance the clearance of ten containers.
However, Dr. Eshanekpe advanced only ₦96,000,000 before pulling out of the transaction three days later, citing allegations that the containers did not exist and demanding an immediate refund.
Addressing claims circulated on social media, Mr. Aremu categorically denied introducing his partner to any serving Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
He clarified that he only introduced Dr. Eshanekpe to two retired officers, DC Williams Okpabi and AC Illiya Binga, to verify the authenticity of the transaction at the Customs Headquarters.
“I restate unequivocally that no Assistant Comptroller-General or any serving officer of the NCS was involved at any stage,” Aremu said, accusing VeryDarkMan of using the narrative to heighten sensationalism and amplify reputational damage
.The clearing agent further revealed that despite the sudden termination of the deal, he has demonstrated good faith by refunding a total sum of ₦30,000,000.
This includes an initial ₦16,000,000 and a subsequent ₦14,000,000 paid under a settlement agreement brokered by the Martins Vincent Otse Initiative in September 2026.
Mr. Aremu expressed surprise that VeryDarkMan proceeded online on 8 October 2026 to label him a fraudster while completely omitting the fact that ₦30,000,000 had already been paid back before the broadcast.
Reiterating that he is neither a fraudster nor on the run, Mr. Aremu maintained his commitment to resolving the outstanding balance of ₦66,000,000 amicably.
He concluded by disclosing that he has instructed his legal counsel to examine the defamatory publications for appropriate legal action.
