Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, better known as VeryDarkman, has apologised to members of Nigeria’s security agencies over his controversial remarks at the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference.
VeryDarkman, in a video released on Friday, acknowledged that his description of the military, police, customs and immigration personnel as “unknown gunmen” was unfair, particularly to officers and soldiers risking their lives in the fight against insecurity.
The activist had made the controversial comment while speaking at the NBA conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during a discussion on Nigeria’s security challenges.
However, reflecting on the backlash that followed, Otse said his statement was not intended to portray every member of the security agencies as complicit in criminal activities.
He admitted that although he had evidence to support concerns about alleged misconduct within the security architecture, his choice of words amounted to a generalisation.
“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.
According to him, his remarks were especially unfair to soldiers currently deployed in the bush and confronting Boko Haram and other threats to the country.
“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 added.
VeryDarkman said his original intention was to draw attention to alleged corruption, information leaks and sabotage by “bad eggs” within the security agencies rather than condemn the institutions wholesale.
“My speech was not to discourage you. My speech was entirely to talk about the bad eggs in our security operative, our security forces,” he explained.
He acknowledged, however, that the manner in which he delivered the message could have created the impression that all security personnel were involved in the alleged misconduct.
“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.
The activist subsequently directed his apology to the Chief of Defence Staff and other senior officials overseeing the country’s security agencies.
He asked the Chief of Defence Staff to convey his apology to soldiers serving in difficult and dangerous locations, stressing that their sacrifices should not be undermined by his comments.
VeryDarkman also apologised to members of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria Immigration Service, 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 his apology, Otse maintained his criticism of alleged corruption and sabotage within the security system.
He insisted that there were individuals within the agencies who were involved in corrupt practices, but stressed that such persons should not be used to define the entire security establishment.
“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 subsequently realised that his remarks could have a demoralising effect on personnel risking their lives in the field.
He gave the example of a soldier fighting insurgents in the bush who could watch the viral video and feel betrayed or discouraged by the statement.
“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 also noted that his interactions with members of the police had exposed him to some of the challenges confronting the force, saying he had on several occasions shared information with officers to assist in tackling criminal activities.
He urged security personnel who were genuinely committed to protecting Nigerians to remain focused despite his earlier comments.
“And please don’t be discouraged. We’re there behind you now, and we’ll always support you. You know, and we are part of this thing, security is for all of us,” he said.
While offering the apology, however, VeryDarkman maintained that his criticism of personnel allegedly involved in sabotage, arms supplies and leaking sensitive information to terrorists remained unchanged.
“To all of you in the military that are sabotaging and causing deaths to your officers, your days are numbered,” he warned.