Social media activist Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has publicly apologised to military personnel, police officers, and other security operatives for his controversial remarks at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference. In a lengthy video posted on his Instagram page on September 4, 2026, VDM admitted that his sweeping generalisation during the event was unjust to many individuals who serve the country with dedication.
What VDM Said at the NBA Conference in Abuja
During a panel session on insecurity at the NBA conference held in Abuja in late August 2026, VDM alleged that certain security personnel manning checkpoints were complicit in crimes often pinned on unknown attackers. He also claimed that some officers passed travellers' information along to kidnappers. These remarks generated significant debate and led the Nigeria Police Force to invite him to provide supporting evidence. VDM had signalled at the time that he would rather present any such evidence before a court than hand it over directly to the police.
His appearance at the lawyers' event had already drawn controversy before the remarks, with prominent legal figures, including Senior Advocate Femi Falana, questioning why a social media personality was invited to speak on national insecurity.
VDM's Apology and What He Said
In the new video, VDM clarified his position without fully retracting his allegations. He stated: "I wasn't fair to a lot of people, particularly where I said the military, the police and other security operatives are the unknown gunmen. Although, I have evidence to back it up, but the way I made the speech was not fair. There are still a lot of good security operatives."
He accompanied the video with a written caption urging followers to share it widely with friends or relatives serving in any of Nigeria's security agencies. In the caption, he wrote: "I am begging you guys to share this video across to your friends, brothers or relatives serving in the military, police, immigration, customs, PLEASE DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED by my speech at the NBA conference. Even though my speech at the conference was targeted at the bad eggs and the system, the saboteurs the sellouts in the system, I still understand that it might discourage some of you that have sacrificed and are still sacrificing for our beloved country 'NIGERIA'... I apologize to the patriots sacrificing for our great nation, THE MILITARY, THE POLICE, IMMIGRATION, CUSTOMS DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED, we the people are right behind you."
Reactions and Broader Context
The development arrives against the backdrop of a broader national conversation around insecurity in Nigeria, covering banditry, kidnappings, and violence attributed to "unknown gunmen" across several regions. VeryDarkMan's video drew mixed reactions on social media, as some netizens mocked and questioned whether he apologised out of fear, while others praised him for summoning the courage to speak.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that VeryDarkMan described reports of the FBI preparing to release President Bola Tinubu's alleged criminal records as a deliberate distraction. He recalled similar claims from 2022 and questioned why the records were not released before or after Tinubu won the 2023 election. VDM also questioned the benefit to Nigerians, suggesting the timing could be linked to the 2027 election cycle, while Tinubu has sought to block the FBI and DEA from releasing the records.
