The Plateau State Police Command has distanced itself from the investigation into the reported theft of ₦180 million from the account of VeryDarkMan’s NGO, Martins Vincent Otse Initiative. According to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Alabo Alfred, the incident was not reported to their jurisdiction and did not occur within Plateau State.
DSP Alfred explained that the alleged cybercrime, which involved hackers accessing and stealing funds from the NGO’s account, was not within the Plateau Command’s purview.
“The matter is not reported to us. We are not the ones handling the matter because the crime was not committed within our jurisdiction. If he said he is coming to Jos, that does not mean that we are the ones handling the case.
“The crime happened in Abuja. So, he is not coming to Jos to report an incident that did not happen within our jurisdiction. If he reported the case at the Force CID level, it is the Force PRO who can speak about it.
“If he reported the case at the FCT Command level, it would be a different thing. Of course, the Force PPRO can talk about it as well. If he can get police officers from where he reported the case, they can all come together to Jos and do their investigation.
“After that, they can report back to where they came from and continue from there. But we can’t talk on a matter that did not happen within our jurisdiction”, the PPRO said.
The controversy arose after VeryDarkMan claimed hackers stole ₦180 million from his NGO, adding that one suspect had been arrested. He also announced plans to travel to Jos to recover the stolen funds.
The Martins Vincent Otse Initiative, launched in October to address Nigeria’s educational challenges, had received substantial donations, including ₦100 million from music producer Don Jazzy. The hacking incident has since raised serious concerns about the vulnerability of NGO financial systems.
In a related statement, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command also denied involvement in the case. Its spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, confirmed that there was no record of the matter being reported to their command.
“The individual in question should clarify where the matter was reported, as there is no record of such a case with the FCT Police Command,” she said.
