The Nigeria Police Force has invited social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, to substantiate allegations he made during the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA conference in Port Harcourt.
Speaking on Tuesday during a panel session at the NBA’s 66th Annual General Conference, VeryDarkMan alleged that police personnel stationed at checkpoints along major highways leak traveller identities and movement details to kidnappers and bandits.
The activist asserted that these security compromises by law enforcement officers have directly facilitated the rise in ransom kidnappings across the country.
In response, CSP Ani Iniedu, the Force Public Relations Officer, refuted the accusation in a statement released on Thursday.
The police clarified that the officers stationed at checkpoints and other areas across the country were not there to aid in kidnapping, but rather to prevent crime, detect criminal activities, and safeguard individuals.
“Indeed, these same police officers routinely confront the very criminal elements alleged to be receiving such information.
“Accordingly, the Nigeria Police Force hereby invites Mr. Martins Vincent Otse to produce, without delay, the evidence upon which he based these serious allegations, including any evidence that police personnel at checkpoints identify wealthy individuals and subsequently transmit information about them to kidnappers for the purpose of facilitating their abduction.
“Any such information will be treated with urgency and investigated thoroughly.
“We encourage any member of the public with credible evidence of officer misconduct to come forward through these channels rather than through public allegations alone, so that appropriate action can be taken,” he stated.
Backstory…
The NBA’s decision to invite VDM as a panellist at the 66th NBA conference generated widespread criticism from persons and lawyers who questioned why a social media personality without formal legal training was given a platform at a major lawyers’ conference.
Rivers State’s Emohua Local Government chairman, Chidi Lloyd, a former law lecturer, also described the invitation as inappropriate, arguing that the conference should focus on serious legal and justice-related issues.
VDM, however, defended the invitation, explaining that he was not brought in to teach lawyers the law but to share his experiences and views on insecurity during a session focused on Nigeria’s security challenges.
The self acclaimed Ratel president is widely known for controversial comments and unconventional perspectives and fighting for justice.
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