Nigerian actress and filmmaker Barbara Odoh has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of appropriating her digital anti-fraud platform, BSafe Transact, without her consent.
In a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, Ms Odoh appealed to the Presidency, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and international bodies for protection, saying her innovation is being promoted elsewhere under a different guise.
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“They have taken my idea and are promoting it elsewhere without my knowledge or consent,” Ms Odoh said, without providing details of the alleged hijack.
EFCC has yet to respond to our reporter’s request for its comment on the allegation.
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Ms Odoh said she developed the platform over several years through academic research and personal experience, intending it as a tool to facilitate secure trade between Nigeria and the global community and restore international confidence in Nigerian businesses.
She described BSafe Transact as “a humanitarian solution to rebuild trust in Nigerian commercial interactions.”
The Guardian Nigeria earlier reported a press conference addressed by Ms Odoh in March alleging her claims that the EFCC “hijacked” her innovation and that her project’s domain was later flagged as fraudulent.
She told journalists then that she developed in 2021 the project called Bsafe Transact, a platform designed to enhance secure transactions across mobile and web applications.
How it started
The actress claimed she formally presented BSafe Transact to the EFCC in January before a five-member panel led by the Commission’s former Head of IT, Isa Abdullahi.
During the meeting, she alleged, Mr Abdullahi assured her of the Commission’s full support.
“It is going to be a serious partnership, this thing has to be sold to the public. Definitely, definitely, you will be invited to a broader meeting; this is certain! The big boss will definitely send it to you!!
“The earlier we do this, the better; I just pray it will be the first project we embark on this year. We’ve seen so many things in this office, before you know it, somebody will run, go to Oyibo land, one white man will come and be speaking slang and will change it from BSafe to another name,”she quoted Mr Abdullahi as saying during their encounter.
Ms Odoh claimed that after the presentation, communication from the EFCC stalled abruptly.
She said she later saw Martins Otse, also known as Very Dark Man, promoting what she described as a substantially identical concept in China, the same region she had proposed for the platform’s first international rollout.
Alleged intimidation
Ms Odoh alleged that her BSafe Transact website and domain have been flagged as fraudulent, including labels of scam, malicious activity, and credit-card phishing, despite the site never hosting commercial transactions beyond test runs and EFCC demonstrations.
“My domain name has been frozen, and I can no longer access it. Someone is trying to frame me and discredit my work,” she said.
She also raised serious concerns about personal safety, claiming she and her son have received repeated calls from unknown numbers, often at night, with callers hanging up silently.
She added that followers of Very Dark Man have sent her threats via social media.
“When did demanding justice become a crime? Our lives are no longer safe. I will not compromise my rights,” she said.
During a recent EFCC visit with her legal representative, Kingsley Arah, she said, she was told, “He who asserts must prove,” a response she interpreted as dismissive.
READ ALSO: Court adjourns trial of dismissed EFCC officer accused of stealing N22 million
Call for justice
Ms Odoh appealed to the president of Nigeria, the National Assembly Committees on ICT and Human Rights, the National Human Rights Commission, the International IP Protection Bodies and Civil Society Organisations.
“I am a Nigerian who has worked hard to build something that uplifts our country. I am simply asking for protection, justice, and fairness,” she said.
PREMIUM TIMES sought EFCC’s comment via SMS and WhatsApp on Thursday but did not immediately get a response.
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