VDM apologizes to soldiers, police, customs, immigration over NBA remarks
Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has apologised to soldiers, police officers, customs and immigration personnel over his controversial remarks at the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. In a video shared on Friday, Otse said he had reflected on his speech and realised that he was unfair to security personnel genuinely risking their lives to protect Nigerians. While speaking at the conference, he had described the military, police, immigration and customs personnel as “unknown gunmen” during a discussion on insecurity. However, Otse said his remarks were not intended to accuse all personnel of involvement in criminal activities. He said his intention was to draw attention to alleged corruption, sabotage, information leaks and misconduct by some “bad eggs” within the security agencies. Otse particularly apologised to soldiers fighting Boko Haram and other threats in the bush, saying it was unfair to describe them as unknown gunmen because many had laid down their lives protecting the country. He also acknowledged that the way he presented his argument made it appear as though he was generalising.
Otse subsequently apologised to the Chief of Defence Staff and the leadership of the security agencies, asking that his apology be extended to soldiers serving in the bush. He also apologised to the police, customs and immigration authorities, as well as families of fallen security personnel who may have been offended by his comments. The activist maintained that there were corrupt and allegedly compromised personnel within the security agencies, including some senior and junior officers, but stressed that there were also many good people doing their jobs. He said he feared his comments could discourage a soldier fighting in the bush who came across the video and urged genuine security personnel not to be discouraged. The apology comes amid controversy surrounding Otse’s appearance at the NBA conference, where his participation and remarks attracted criticism. Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana had rejected the defence of Otse’s role and called for experienced speakers to handle specialised discussions at the event, while Otse defended his invitation. The latest apology also follows a separate controversy over his claims that some police officers at checkpoints allegedly pass information about wealthy travellers to kidnappers. The police challenged him to provide evidence, while Otse dared the authorities to charge him to court, saying he would present his evidence. In his latest video, Otse maintained his warning to personnel allegedly involved in sabotage, arms supply and leaking information to terrorists, but urged Nigerians to support security personnel genuinely protecting the country.
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