Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has apologised to members of Nigeria’s military, police, customs and immigration services over comments he made during the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.
VeryDarkMan had used the expression “unknown gunmen” while criticising personnel of the security agencies during his conference appearance, generating widespread debate.
According to Naija News, Otse said after reflecting on his remarks that he had unfairly generalised security personnel, particularly soldiers risking their lives in frontline operations against Boko Haram and other armed groups.
“I don’t think I was fair to a lot of people,” he acknowledged while addressing the controversy.
He specifically appealed to the Chief of Defence Staff to extend his apology to troops serving on the frontlines and to families of security personnel who had died in service to the country.
Otse, however, maintained that his apology did not amount to withdrawing his concerns about alleged misconduct within Nigeria’s security agencies.
He said his intention at the NBA conference was to draw attention to what he described as “bad eggs” allegedly involved in corruption, sabotage and information leaks rather than to portray every member of the security services as complicit.
The activist acknowledged that the way he delivered the message created the impression that he was condemning the security agencies as a whole.
VeryDarkMan had earlier alleged during the NBA conference that some police personnel at checkpoints passed information about wealthy travellers to kidnappers.
Police authorities challenged him to substantiate the allegation, while the activist maintained that he was prepared to present evidence in support of his claims.
His latest statement therefore represents a clarification of his NBA conference remarks: an apology for the generalisation while maintaining his call for security authorities to investigate and sanction personnel involved in alleged wrongdoing.
READ MORE: Police Challenge VeryDarkMan Over NBA Kidnapping Claims
