Human rights lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi has declared that the emergence of social critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, is a direct reflection of the failure of Nigeria's judicial system to deliver justice to the common man. In a video shared on his YouTube page, Farotimi asserted that ordinary Nigerians now place more trust in VDM and similar figures to obtain justice than in the formal judicial process.
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Farotimi made these remarks while responding to the controversy surrounding VeryDarkMan's invitation to the Nigerian Bar Association's 66th Annual General Conference held in Port Harcourt. He argued that VDM and others like him would not have emerged if Nigeria possessed a functional police and judicial system. He warned that more personalities akin to VeryDarkMan could surface if the judiciary and other institutions continue to fail in addressing the grievances of Nigerians.
According to Farotimi, “A society that has law and order, that is ruled by law, that has a functional police system, a functional court system, would not even tolerate the presence or existence of a VDM. VDM is the life indictment of a judicial system that is essentially peopled by crooks in the place of jurists. That’s what VDM is. It represents a type, a type that has been tolerated, mollified because of the failure of the system.”
VDM as a Mirror of Societal Failures
The activist likened VeryDarkMan to a mirror reflecting the failures of Nigerian society, stating that attacking the social critic would not resolve the underlying problems responsible for his growing influence. “The reality is that you are the one who has to do something to fix the image in the mirror. VDM is merely the image in your mirror. The society you have built requires VDM to find justice,” he said.
Farotimi further stressed that it is easier for Nigerians to find justice through the likes of VDM than through the courts. He directly challenged the notion that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man, asserting, “It’s easier to find justice through the types and likes of VDM than through your courts. They say the judiciary is the last hope of the common man. Nah, lie. VDM has become the last hope of the common man in the society that you built. Shame on all of you. And not just the lawyers or the judges, but the entire society that has made this possible.”
Warning of More VDMs to Come
Farotimi cautioned that the society built by Nigerian elites requires VDM to administer justice, and predicted a proliferation of similar figures. “The society you built requires VDM to do justice. Very soon there will be multiplicities of VDM in the society that you have built. And if you have not noticed, there are already copycat VDMs springing up. Because the society requires VDM to find justice. How much of a shameful society have we built? Or shall I say shameless society?” he asked.
He concluded with a stark warning about the potential consequences of continued institutional failure: “If the courts are useless, the VDMs of this world will emerge. And if you think VDM is the end of it, that’s the best you’re going to get. The ones who will come after, some of them will come behind him and they will carry guns to enforce their laws.”
