VDM apologises to soldiers, police, customs, immigration over ‘unknown gunmen’ remark

By Johnson Arua

Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has apologised to soldiers, police officers, customs and immigration personnel over his controversial remarks at the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Otse, in a video shared on Friday, said he had reflected on his speech and realised that his comments were unfair to security personnel who were risking their lives to protect Nigerians.

The activist had stirred controversy at the NBA conference after describing the military, police, immigration and customs personnel as “unknown gunmen” while speaking on insecurity in the country.

However, in his latest video, Otse said he never intended to accuse all personnel in the security agencies of involvement in criminal activities, stressing that his criticism was directed at what he described as “bad eggs” within the security architecture.

“I don’t think I was fair to a lot of people, particularly the speech where I said that the military are the unknown gunmen, the police are the unknown gunmen, you know, the immigration, the customs,” he said.

Otse said he was particularly concerned about soldiers fighting Boko Haram and other terrorists in remote areas, noting that his remarks could demoralise personnel who were risking their lives on the frontline.

“That speech was not fair, especially to the soldiers that are in the bushes fighting Boko Haram to protect our lands, to protect our lives and to protect our families,” he said.

According to him, his intention was to draw attention to alleged corruption, information leaks and sabotage within the security agencies rather than condemn the entire security establishment.

“My speech was entirely to talk about the bad eggs in our security forces, to put attention on the bad eggs, so that the leaders in these security settings will look inward and see that sometimes information are being leaked and their own people are sabotaging them,” he explained.

The activist admitted, however, that the manner in which he presented his argument made it appear as though he was generalising his allegations.

“But by passing that speech, like I said, it seems like I was generalising and it’s not fair to the fallen soldiers,” he added.

Otse subsequently apologised to the Chief of Defence Staff and the leadership of the various security agencies, asking that his message be conveyed to personnel serving in dangerous locations.

“I really want to apologise for that speech, and I don’t want to discourage your boys. Please extend my apologies to your boys, to the ones that are in the bush protecting our lands,” he said.

He also extended his apology to the police, customs and immigration authorities, as well as families of security personnel who had died in the line of duty.

“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,” he said.

Despite the apology, Otse maintained his allegations of corruption and misconduct against some personnel, insisting that there were “a lot of bad eggs” within the security agencies.

He, however, acknowledged that many dedicated officers remained committed to protecting the country.

“There’s still a lot of more good people, a lot of more good people, and I know a lot of them,” he said.

Otse said he was particularly worried that a soldier fighting in the bush could watch his earlier video and feel betrayed or discouraged by the comments.

“Imagine a soldier fighting in the bush and he watches VDM’s video, and he’s like, ‘Ah, VDM is one of us now, unknown gunman.’ That would discourage him, to be honest,” he said.

The activist, who has previously raised allegations of misconduct by security personnel, said his interactions with some police officers had also exposed him to challenges within the force.

He urged security personnel genuinely committed to protecting Nigerians not to be discouraged by his criticism, assuring them of his support.

“And please don’t be discouraged. We’re there behind you now, and we’ll always support you. Security is for all of us,” he said.

Otse, however, warned personnel he accused of sabotaging security operations, supplying arms or leaking information to terrorists that his criticism had not changed.

“But then again, to the bad eggs, your days are numbered,” he said, warning those allegedly involved in sabotage and activities that put other officers at risk.

His apology comes amid controversy surrounding his appearance at the NBA conference, where his invitation and comments attracted criticism from some members of the legal profession.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, had criticised the decision to feature Otse at the conference and argued that specialised discussions at such events should be handled by experienced speakers.

Otse subsequently defended his invitation and explained why he was asked to participate in the conference, before later mocking some of his critics by appearing in a lawyer’s wig and gown in a video.

The latest controversy also follows allegations previously made by Otse that some police officers at checkpoints allegedly provide information about wealthy travellers to kidnappers. The police challenged him to substantiate the allegation, while Otse dared the authorities to charge him to court, saying he would present his evidence.

In his latest video, however, Otse said his criticism of alleged misconduct should not be interpreted as hostility towards the security agencies.

“I actually know more than the people I was trying to communicate with, so it was not really communicated properly,” he said.

He concluded by urging Nigerians to support security personnel genuinely fighting to protect the country and honour those who had died in service.

“And to the patriots, to the heroes, to our fallen heroes that have died to protect this country… I am really, really sorry.

“Keep on fighting for our beloved country. God bless all of you. We Nigerians are with you,” he said.