“Your Days Are Numbered”: VDM Warns Compromised Security Officials, Apologises to Military, Police
Social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has issued a strict warning to compromised security officials, saying their days are numbered for the alleged evils they commit.
Otse gave the warning while apologising to soldiers, police officers, customs and immigration personnel over controversial comments he made at the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
In a video released on Friday, September 4, the activist admitted that he was unfair in describing the military, police, immigration and customs as “unknown gunmen,” particularly because the statement appeared to portray all personnel within the security agencies as being involved in criminal activities.
He specifically apologised to the Chief of Defence Staff and asked that his apology be extended to soldiers serving in conflict zones, noting that many of them were risking their lives to protect Nigerians and fight Boko Haram and other threats.
Otse also apologized to police officers, customs and immigration personnel, as well as families of security operatives who had died in the line of duty. He acknowledged that his comments could discourage personnel who were genuinely committed to protecting the country.
However, the apology did not amount to a complete withdrawal of his allegations against the security architecture. Instead, Otse clarified that his criticism was targeted at what he described as “bad eggs” within the security agencies and not the institutions or every officer serving in them.
He maintained that there were corrupt personnel and officials allegedly involved in sabotage, arms supplies and the leaking of sensitive information, insisting that his original intention at the NBA conference was to draw attention to such individuals.
“To all of you in the military that are sabotaging and causing deaths to your officers, your days are numbered,” Otse warned.
The warning followed the controversy generated by his appearance at the NBA conference on August 25, where he spoke during a session on Nigeria’s insecurity and made allegations against security personnel.
During the session, Otse alleged that some police officers manning checkpoints along major highways identify wealthy travellers and pass information about them to kidnappers and bandits. He also accused security agencies of knowing more about the perpetrators of violent attacks than was publicly acknowledged.
His comments prompted the Nigeria Police Force to demand evidence to support the allegations. The Force challenged him to substantiate his claim that some officers at checkpoints were providing information to criminals who subsequently targeted travellers for kidnapping.
Otse subsequently indicated that he was prepared to defend his allegations, saying he would rather present his evidence in court if legal action was taken against him.
The controversy also extended to the decision by the NBA to have the social media activist speak on national security. Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, criticised the invitation, arguing that the association’s conferences had traditionally featured people with established professional experience who could engage lawyers intellectually on important issues.
Despite the backlash, Otse’s latest video appears to draw a distinction between his criticism of alleged misconduct within the security system and the men and women serving legitimately within the agencies.
He said he had realised that his choice of words at the NBA conference had generalised his accusation and could have unfairly affected soldiers and other security personnel who were making sacrifices in the line of duty.
But while apologising for that generalisation, he retained his warning to those he believes are deliberately undermining the fight against insecurity.
The result is a partial retreat rather than a complete retraction: VeryDarkMan has apologize for describing the security agencies collectively as “unknown gunmen”, but he has continued to insist that there are individuals within the system whose alleged misconduct needs to be exposed and addressed.