VeryDarkMan Apologises To Security Agencies Over ‘Unknown Gunmen’ Remarks

Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has apologised to members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies over remarks he made at the just-concluded 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Otse had, during his speech at the conference, referred to soldiers, police officers, customs and immigration personnel as “unknown gunmen”, sparking criticism over the comments.

However, in a video shared on his social media platforms, the activist said he had reflected on his remarks and realised that they were unfair to security personnel who risk their lives to protect Nigerians.

“I don’t think I was fair to a lot of people, particularly the speech where I said that the military are the unknown gunmen, the police are the unknown gunmen, you know, the immigration, the customs,” he said.

READ ALSO: Netizens Split as Police Ask VeryDarkMan to Substantiate Kidnap Allegation Against Officers

Otse explained that while he stood by the concerns he was attempting to raise, his choice of words was unfair to many security personnel, particularly soldiers fighting insurgents in the North-East.

“I know exactly what I was trying to say because, I mean, I have evidence to back up my claim, but I wasn’t fair to a lot of people in that speech,” he said.

“That speech was not fair, especially to the soldiers that are in the bushes fighting Boko Haram to protect our lands, to protect our lives, and to protect our families.

“I don’t think it’s fair to say they are also the unknown gunmen, to be very honest, because these people have laid down their lives.”

The activist said his comments were directed at alleged misconduct by some individuals within the security agencies and were not intended to portray all personnel as collaborators with criminals.

“My speech was entirely to talk about the bad eggs in our security operatives, our security forces, to put attention on the bad eggs, so that the leaders in these security settings will look inward and to see that sometimes information is being leaked and their own people are sabotaging them,” he said.

Otse’s apology came after the Nigeria Police Force invited him to provide evidence supporting allegations he made during the NBA conference.

The activist had alleged that some police officers manning checkpoints along major highways identify wealthy travellers and pass information about their identities and movements to kidnappers and terrorists.

He claimed that such information was being used by criminal groups to facilitate kidnappings for ransom.

The Force Headquarters rejected the allegations, describing them as unsubstantiated and insisting that claims of such gravity should be backed by credible evidence.