Influencer VeryDarkMan Bows, Apologizes to Security Agencies After Controversial Remarks

Social media personality Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, has publicly apologized to Nigerian soldiers, police officers, customs, and immigration personnel. This apology was issued in a video shared on a Friday, following a period of reflection on comments he made at the Nigerian Bar Association’s (NBA) 66th Annual General Conference held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on August 25.

During the conference, while speaking on the issue of insecurity, Otse controversially referred to members of the military, police, immigration, and customs as “unknown gunmen.” He later admitted that he realized these remarks were unfair to the numerous security personnel who bravely risk their lives to protect Nigerians. He specifically acknowledged the injustice to soldiers actively fighting groups like Boko Haram and other threats in difficult conditions, emphasizing that such individuals have laid down their lives in service to the nation.

VeryDarkMan clarified that his true intention behind the controversial speech was not to discourage the security forces as a whole. Instead, he aimed to draw attention to what he described as “bad eggs” within the security agencies. His goal was to highlight alleged corruption, sabotage, and information leaks by certain individuals, hoping that leaders within these security settings would look inward and address these internal issues. He stated, “My speech was entirely to talk about the bad eggs in our security operative, our security forces, is to put attention on the bad eggs, so that the leaders in these security settings will look inward and to see that sometimes information are being leaked and their own people are sabotaging them.”

He extended his apology specifically to the Chief of Defence Staff, police, customs, and immigration authorities. Furthermore, he sought to convey his apologies to personnel serving in dangerous conditions and to the families of fallen security personnel, recognizing the potential offense his words may have caused to those who have lost loved ones in service to the country. He conveyed, “To the families of these heroes that might have also felt offended by this speech, knowing fully well that their brother, their sister, their son, their husband fought and died for this country, I am really, really sorry.”

The apology came amidst significant criticism of his appearance at the NBA conference, including from prominent figures like Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana, who publicly questioned the decision to invite Otse to speak on national security. This controversy also followed a separate and serious allegation made by VeryDarkMan, where he claimed that some police officers at checkpoints identify wealthy travelers and subsequently pass information about them to kidnappers.

In response to this grave accusation, the Nigeria Police Force invited Otse on August 27 to provide evidence supporting his claim. The Force described the allegation as unsubstantiated but committed to investigating any evidence presented. VeryDarkMan, in turn, stated his preparedness to face the police, affirming his intention to present his evidence in court if any charges were brought against him.