The Police Integrity Organisation (PIO), a civic group supporting the Nigeria Police Force, has publicly accused social media activist Vincent Otse Martins, known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), of deliberately shielding suspects in a 2023 double murder in the Ajiro community, Lagos State. The accusation came during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, August 14, titled "Setting The Record Straight on the Nigerian Police vs VeryDarkMan Ongoing Nuisance."
PIO's Allegations Against VDM
Isaiah Davies Ijele, PIO's convener, described the organisation as an independent civic stakeholder body focused on police accountability and institutional reform. He alleged that VDM has been publicly defending Ahmed Tajudeen, whom investigators believe coordinated the killings. Tajudeen has been arrested alongside two other men in connection with the case.
Ijele claimed that two of the four men arrested confessed to being promised trips abroad or similar rewards, plus N500,000 cash each, for carrying out the act. He also questioned how a messenger linked to Tajudeen reportedly became chairman of the Road Transport Workers union in Aja, Lagos, shortly after the murders, calling it "part of the rewards they were promised for the dirty job they carried out."
Background of the Ajiro Murder Case
Ijele said the 2023 killing of two men in the Ajiro community had gone uninvestigated under previous Lagos State Commissioners of Police until AIG Moshood Jimoh, then serving as Commissioner of Police for Lagos, took up the case on the direct instruction of Inspector General of Police Olatunji Disu. "The only crime of the AIG was his resolve to investigate the matter as instructed by the Inspector General of Police and fish out the culprits behind the killings, unlike his predecessors who failed to do so," Ijele said.
He also accused VDM of misrepresenting a Federal High Court ruling that restrained police from arresting Tajudeen, arguing the order only addressed his fundamental human rights and did not amount to full exoneration. The police have begun the process of appealing the relevant part of the judgment, Ijele added.
PIO Challenges VDM to Debate
Ijele said VDM had initially accepted a public debate challenge but had since failed to appear, which he described as evidence of manipulative intent. He also questioned why the activist had not responded to separate invitations from police authorities in Lagos and Abuja to present his evidence.
Another PIO executive, Unekwu Ocheje, said VDM had relied on a single source before making public pronouncements about the police and AIG Jimoh, and urged Nigerians to verify claims made on social media independently. Social commentator Sergent Mario, who also addressed the briefing, warned that social media should not replace the courts. "Social media is not the court of law," he said, urging anyone with evidence to take it through the appropriate legal channels.
Ijele closed by commending the Inspector General of Police for what he called meticulous handling of the investigation and assured the public that evidence would emerge at the right time.
Police Insist on Court Resolution
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Tuesday, August 4, reaffirmed that the criminal case linked to the Ajiran murders remains before a court of competent jurisdiction and should be allowed to proceed without interference from public campaigns or media commentary. The police have stressed that the legal process must be respected, and the case will be resolved in court.
