Social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has responded to the invitation extended to him by the Nigeria Police Force over allegations he made against police officers at the Nigerian Bar Association conference in Port Harcourt.
VeryDarkMan spoke after the police, through the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, asked him to provide evidence to support his claims that some police officers manning checkpoints along major highways provide information about travellers to kidnappers and bandits.
The activist had made the allegations on Tuesday while speaking as a panellist at the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association.
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According to him, some officers at checkpoints allegedly identify wealthy travellers and pass information about their identities and movements to criminal groups, thereby facilitating kidnappings for ransom.
The police rejected the allegation as unsubstantiated, insisting that its personnel deployed to checkpoints were responsible for preventing crime and protecting citizens.
The Force consequently invited VeryDarkMan to produce the evidence upon which he based his claims, promising to investigate any credible information provided.
Reacting to the invitation on Thursday, VeryDarkMan said he would honour the police invitation but would not submit his evidence during questioning.
He insisted that he stood by his allegations and said he would present the evidence in court if he was charged.
“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 tender the evidence in court,” he said.
The development has sparked further reactions, with the Presidency also criticising the NBA for providing VeryDarkMan a platform to make what it described as reckless accusations against the police and security agencies.
The police, however, maintained that any officer found to have compromised his duties would face disciplinary action and the full weight of the law.
