Police Challenge VeryDarkMan to Substantiate Claims

Police challenges VeryDarkMan to prove officers at checkpoints collude with kidnappers to abduct travellers on highways.

The Nigeria Police Force has challenged popular social critic Martins Vincent Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan, to back his serious allegation with evidence.

VeryDarkMan had claimed that police officers stationed at highway checkpoints work hand-in-hand with kidnappers.

He made the allegation while speaking as a panellist at the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.

According to him, officers at checkpoints monitor vehicles, profile travellers who look wealthy, and leak their movement to criminal gangs who then abduct them for ransom.

The claim quickly generated reactions online and among security stakeholders.

Responding on August 27, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, described the allegation as unsubstantiated and damaging.

He said the statement unfairly discredits the sacrifices of officers who risk their lives daily on the roads.

For the avoidance of doubt, Iniedu stressed that police personnel deployed to checkpoints across the country are there to prevent crime, detect criminal activity, and protect citizens. Not to aid kidnapping.

He noted that the same officers being accused are often the direct targets of the criminals they are accused of working with.

According to the Force, police personnel have been ambushed, attacked and killed on duty. Police stations, patrol vehicles and other operational assets have also been attacked by terrorists, kidnappers and other violent criminals.

The Police Force says such blanket accusations do not reflect reality.

To clear the air, the Force has now thrown a direct challenge to the critic.

Iniedu said Mr Martins Vincent Otse should, without delay, produce the evidence upon which he based his claims. This includes any proof that officers identify rich travellers at checkpoints and pass their information to kidnappers.

He assured that any evidence provided will be treated with urgency and thoroughly investigated.

The Force also used the opportunity to address the general public. It encouraged anyone with credible evidence of police misconduct to come forward through official complaint channels.

Such reports, it said, are more effective than making allegations on social media alone, as they allow for proper action to be taken.