Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has apologised to soldiers, policemen, customs and immigration personnel over his controversial remarks at the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference.
VeryDarkMan made the apology in a video shared on Friday after reflecting on his speech at the conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he referred to the military, police, immigration and customs personnel as ‘unknown gunmen’ during a discussion on insecurity.
He said he realised that the comment was unfair to security personnel who were risking their lives to protect Nigerians, particularly soldiers fighting Boko Haram and other threats.
‘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.
‘I know exactly what I was trying to say because, I mean, I have evidence to back up my claim, but I wasn’t fair to a lot of people in that speech,’ he said.
VeryDarkMan explained that his criticism was directed at alleged corruption, sabotage and information leaks by some individuals within the security agencies, rather than the personnel as a whole.
He acknowledged, however, that the manner in which he made the point amounted to a generalisation that could undermine the sacrifices of security personnel who had died in the line of duty.
‘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.
‘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,’ he said.
Explaining the intention behind his remarks, VeryDarkMan said he wanted security authorities to pay attention to personnel allegedly working against their colleagues and the country.
‘My speech was not to discourage you. 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 and to see that sometimes information are being leaked and their own people are sabotaging them,’ he said.
He said he accepted that his choice of words created the impression that he was accusing the entire security sector.
‘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 addressed the Chief of Defence Staff and other security authorities, asking that his apology be conveyed to personnel serving in difficult and dangerous conditions.
‘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.
He extended the apology to the police, customs and immigration authorities and to 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.
VeryDarkMan maintained that allegations of misconduct involving some personnel should not erase the contributions of officers who continue to serve the country.
‘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, a lot of them are there. But there’s still a lot of more good people, a lot of more good people, and I know a lot of them,’ he said.
He said he was concerned that his earlier comments could have a negative effect on a soldier who encountered the video while serving in the bush.
‘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.
VeryDarkMan also pointed to his interactions with some police officers as part of his experience with the security sector, saying they had given him insight into some of the challenges confronting the force.
‘Me and police, we work steady. I give, sometimes I share police information, tell them, ‘Oh, this is what is happening here, please, can you intercept,’ he said.
He urged officers who were genuinely protecting Nigerians not to interpret his criticism as an attack on their service.
‘And please don’t be discouraged, please, 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.
Despite the apology, VeryDarkMan said he would continue to speak against personnel he accused of sabotage, arms-related activities and leaking information to terrorists.
‘But then again, to the bad eggs, your days are numbered.
‘To all of you in the military that are sabotaging and causing deaths to your officers, your days are numbered,’ he said.
The latest development comes after VeryDarkMan’s appearance at the NBA’s annual conference attracted criticism, particularly over his comments about the security agencies.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, had rejected the defence of VeryDarkMan’s participation and argued that experienced speakers should handle specialised discussions at the conference.
VeryDarkMan later defended his invitation and explained the circumstances surrounding his appearance before mocking some of the backlash by appearing in a lawyer’s wig and gown in a video.