By Ghazali Ibrahim
Social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has challenged the Nigeria Police Force to charge him to court rather than demand the evidence backing his allegations that security personnel facilitate kidnapping and banditry in Nigeria.
Otse made the challenge while reacting to the police invitation asking him to substantiate his claim that some officers manning checkpoints identify wealthy travellers and pass information about them to kidnappers.
In a video shared on his Instagram page on Thursday, the activist said he was prepared to honour the invitation but would not hand over his evidence to the police, insisting that he would present it before a court if criminal proceedings were instituted against him.
“I’m not going to be giving the police my evidence. Why would I do that? I would be charged to court, and I would turn down the evidence in court,” he said.
The police had described his allegation as serious, unsubstantiated and damaging to the institution, while assuring that any evidence provided by him would be treated urgently and investigated.
But Otse maintained that his lawyers were ready and urged the Force to proceed against him if it believed he had committed an offence.
“So when I get to your office, you charge me to court. I can go to court on that same day. My lawyers are on ground,” he said.
The activist doubled down on his allegation that security agencies were contributing to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, claiming that the police, military, immigration and customs were aware of the alleged activities.
“It is the police people that aid insecurity. It is the military men that benefit from insecurity. That’s why it can never stop,” he alleged.
He also questioned why kidnapping, banditry and terrorism remained widespread despite the huge amounts allocated to security.
“How much is your budget to battle insecurity? How much is your budget? Go and look at your budget and tell me why we still have bandits and terrorists kidnapping people,” Otse said.
He insisted that his comments were intended to hold public institutions accountable and said he remained convinced of the allegations.
“I’m proud of myself that right in their faces I said what I had to say and to tell them that the insecurity going on in Nigeria, it is aided by them. I stand by my words,” he said.
However, Otse acknowledged the difficult working conditions faced by police officers, arguing that better welfare for personnel was necessary to improve Nigeria’s security.
“There is no welfare for the Nigerian police. If you want Nigeria’s security to be tightened, you have to take care of our policemen. Take care of them,” he said.
The latest confrontation comes weeks after Otse accused the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Command, Moshood Jimoh, of corruption in relation to the investigation of businessman Ahmed Tajudeen Akanbi’s case.
The police subsequently confirmed that Jimoh had been invited for questioning as part of an internal administrative review and also invited Otse to substantiate his allegations.
According to the Force, the criminal matter connected to the dispute was already before a court following advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
Otse criticised what he described as the police’s delayed response to his earlier allegations, contrasting it with the speed with which the Force reacted to his claims about checkpoint kidnappings.
He further alleged that he had released material relating to the case, including claims of torture of suspects, but that the police only responded after he published additional material.
The activist ended his latest remarks by reiterating his readiness to face the authorities in court.
“For the police, I’m very, very ready for you guys. 100 per cent. I’m ready to show you that you people aid insecurity. You people aid banditry and terrorism in this country,” he said.
“Let’s meet in court. The evidence will be tendered there.”
