Social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan(VDM), has responded to the controversy over his appearance at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference with a satirical video in which he dressed as a lawyer and staged a mock court proceeding.
Otse posted the roughly three-and-a-half-minute video on Instagram on Friday, wearing a black barrister’s gown, white neck tabs, a wig, and dark sunglasses. He repeatedly addressed himself and others as “my lord” and “learned colleagues”, turning the criticism surrounding his NBA appearance into a parody of legal proceedings.
The video is the latest episode in a dispute that followed Otse’s participation in the NBA conference, themed “Be Your Limit”. His presence at the gathering attracted criticism from some lawyers and members of the public because he is not a lawyer.
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Otse has defended his invitation on the ground that his public advocacy and experience, particularly on insecurity, qualified him to contribute to the discussion.
Revisiting the controversy in the new skit, he told the imaginary court that his concerns about insecurity had been overshadowed by the debate over his professional status.
“If I may, my lords, since you people decided to ignore all the points I raised at the NBA, all the points I raised about the insecurity, the people benefiting, you people decided to distract yourself by judging me and saying I was not fit to be there because I’m not a lawyer,” he said.
He then declared, “I’ve been called to bar. So now, you are now my learned colleagues.”
Otse also invented a fictional “section 343 of the VDM constitution”, using it to deliver another sarcastic jab at his critics.
“A large majority of Nigerians believe that I was not supposed to be present at this year’s NBA conference titled Be Your Limit. But my lord, I beg to differ because I am the most qualified, especially because of the topic that was addressed,” he said.
The skit featured two other men whom Otse introduced as his “learned friends”. In one scene, he pretended to represent a man seeking legal assistance before dismissing him in comic fashion.
The controversy has also drawn criticism from senior lawyer Femi Falana, who questioned the justification for inviting Otse to participate in the professional gathering and maintained that experience could not replace the qualifications required to practise law.
Otse’s latest response does not directly resolve that disagreement. Instead, he has used humour and courtroom imagery to ridicule the criticism while returning attention to the security concerns he said he raised at the conference.
His participation also came amid controversy over his claims concerning insecurity and alleged kidnapping activities involving police officers, an issue that previously led to his invitation by the police for questioning.
