Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has apologised to members of Nigeria’s security agencies over comments he made during the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Otse, in a video released on Friday, admitted that his description of soldiers, policemen, immigration and customs personnel as “unknown gunmen” during his conference speech was unfair to security officers who risk their lives to protect the country.
He particularly apologised to soldiers serving in conflict zones, saying his remarks could discourage personnel battling Boko Haram and other security threats.
“I don’t think it’s fair to say they are also the unknown gunmen, to be very honest, because these people have laid down their lives,” Otse said.
The activist explained that his original criticism was directed at what he described as “bad eggs” within the security agencies whom he accused of corruption, leaking sensitive information and sabotaging operations.
“My speech was entirely to talk about the bad eggs in our security operative, our security forces, is to put attention on the bad eggs, so that the leaders in these security settings will look inward,” he said.
However, Otse acknowledged that the manner in which he made the argument amounted to generalisation and could have been hurtful to personnel who had died in the line of duty.
“But by passing that speech, like I said, it seems like I was generalising and it’s not fair to the fallen soldiers,” he said.
He subsequently addressed an apology to the Chief of Defence Staff and the leadership of the other security agencies.
“So I will go further to say to the Chief of Defence Staff, Sir, 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.
Otse also extended the apology to the police, Nigeria Customs Service and immigration authorities, as well as relatives of security personnel who had died while serving the country.
“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.
The activist maintained that his criticism of security agencies was not intended to undermine the work of personnel serving legitimately.
He said that although he believed there were corrupt officials within the military and other security formations, there were also many officers who were committed to protecting Nigerians.
“Yes, a lot of bad eggs there, like I said, a lot of bad eggs, a lot of them are there. A lot of corrupt generals, a lot of high-ranking police officers are corrupt, a lot of junior officers are corrupt,” he said.
“But there’s still a lot of more good people, a lot of more good people, and I know a lot of them.”
Otse said he became concerned about the possible impact of his remarks after considering how they might affect a soldier fighting in a conflict zone who came across his video.
“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.
He also pointed to his interactions with some police officers, saying such relationships had given him insight into the difficulties confronting members of the force.
According to him, he sometimes shares information with police officers about suspected criminal activities and alerts them to incidents that require intervention.
Despite his apology, Otse maintained his allegations against security personnel whom he accused of sabotaging operations or supplying information and arms to terrorists.
“But then again, to the bad eggs, your days are numbered,” he said.
“To all of you in the military that are sabotaging and causing deaths to your officers, your days are numbered.”
The apology follows controversy generated by Otse’s appearance at the NBA conference and the remarks he made while discussing insecurity and alleged misconduct within Nigeria’s security architecture.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, had criticised the decision to feature Otse at the conference and advocated the use of experienced speakers for specialised discussions.
Otse later defended his participation, explaining the reasons behind his invitation, before appearing in a lawyer’s wig and gown in a video in response to the criticism.
His latest comments also come against the backdrop of another dispute involving his allegations 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 prosecute him, insisting that he would present his evidence in court.
In his latest video, however, Otse stressed that his criticism of alleged corruption and sabotage should not be interpreted as an attack on all security personnel.
“I actually know more than the people I was trying to communicate with, so it was not really communicated properly,” he said.
He urged patriotic security personnel to remain focused on their duties and assured them of public support.
“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.
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