"𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗠𝗲 𝗧𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲" ---𝗩𝗗𝗠 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀.

              

By NigerDelta Voice,

𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗮, 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮.

Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has challenged the Nigeria Police Force to take him to court if it believes his allegations linking some security personnel to kidnapping and banditry are unfounded.

The development followed an invitation issued by the Nigeria Police Force on Thursday, August 27, 2026, asking Otse to provide evidence supporting claims he made during the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

VDM had, during a panel discussion on insecurity and attacks on the judiciary, made allegations concerning the conduct of security personnel operating at checkpoints and on major highways.

He alleged that some police officers provide information about travellers to kidnappers and bandits, claiming that criminals could use such information to identify potential victims. He further alleged that some security personnel go as far as renting firearms to criminal elements.

According to reports of the exchange at the conference, VDM also questioned why insecurity had remained widespread despite the presence of security checkpoints and the deployment of large numbers of security personnel across the country.

Police Reject Allegations, Demand Evidence

The Nigeria Police Force subsequently rejected the allegations, describing them as unsubstantiated and unfairly damaging to the institution.

In a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, the police said allegations of such gravity required credible evidence.

The Force specifically asked VDM to produce any evidence showing that police personnel at checkpoints identify wealthy travellers and subsequently transmit information about them to kidnappers to facilitate abductions for ransom.

The police maintained that officers deployed to checkpoints are tasked with preventing crime, detecting criminal activities and protecting citizens.

The Force also acknowledged that individual officers who compromise their duties should face disciplinary and legal consequences, but argued that such cases should not be used to condemn the entire institution.

Police Commissioner Challenges Checkpoint Narrative

The controversy had already emerged during the NBA conference itself, where VDM's allegations were challenged by police officials participating in the discussion.

Commissioner of Police in charge of the Safer Highway Department, Silas Aremu, reportedly acknowledged that checkpoints could potentially be abused by individual bad elements but rejected the suggestion that police officers routinely collect motorists' information and hand it over to criminal groups.

Aremu instead argued that criminals themselves monitor security checkpoints and may exploit the locations and activities of officers for criminal purposes.

He maintained that the presence of police checkpoints on major highways should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of collaboration between law-enforcement personnel and kidnappers.

VDM: “Charge Me to Court”

Responding to the police invitation, VDM said he was prepared to face the authorities but insisted that he would not voluntarily surrender his evidence during police questioning.

In a video response circulated on social media, the activist challenged the Force to prosecute him if it believed his allegations constituted an offence.

“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.

He subsequently doubled down on his position, insisting that he stood by his allegations and was ready to defend them before a court of law.

VDM also extended his accusations beyond the police, alleging that elements within other security agencies, including the military, immigration and customs services, know more about the activities of criminal networks than is publicly acknowledged.

He argued that the continued prevalence of kidnapping, banditry and terrorism despite substantial government spending on security raises questions about the effectiveness and integrity of the country's security architecture. These remain allegations by VDM and have not been established as facts by a court or independent investigation.

Latest Dispute Follows Earlier VDM–Police Face-Off

The latest confrontation is not the first time VDM and the police have clashed over allegations of police misconduct.

Earlier in August, the Force invited VDM to substantiate separate allegations involving Assistant Inspector-General of Police Moshood Jimoh, who heads the Zone 2 Command.

The earlier controversy centred on the police investigation into the killings of Sheriff Ishola, a youth leader reportedly murdered in 2023, and Prince Ademola Akinloye, who was killed in 2024 in the Ajiran area of Eti-Osa, Lagos.

VDM had publicly questioned the police investigation and alleged that a businessman, Hammed Tajudeen Akanbi, had been wrongly implicated in the murder case. He also accused AIG Jimoh of allegedly compromising the investigation and framing Akanbi because of a land dispute. The allegations were disputed, and Jimoh maintained that the police had evidence capable of standing trial.

The police subsequently confirmed that AIG Jimoh had been invited for questioning over the allegations, while VDM was also invited to provide supporting evidence.

The Force said on that occasion that it was committed to investigating credible allegations regardless of the rank of the officer involved, while stressing that the underlying criminal case was already before a court.

VDM had, however, objected to an earlier invitation requiring him to travel to Lagos, describing the invitation as “malicious” and arguing that he should be questioned in Abuja, where the Force Headquarters and the relevant investigative authorities are located.

A Recurring Question of Police Accountability

The latest dispute has therefore widened an already contentious debate about police accountability, insecurity and public confidence in Nigeria's security institutions.

The police position is that criticism and allegations of misconduct are legitimate when supported by evidence and processed through established investigative mechanisms. The Force has also stated that officers found culpable would face sanctions under the law.

VDM, on the other hand, has consistently adopted a confrontational approach, arguing that allegations involving powerful security officials should be subjected to public scrutiny and, where necessary, judicial examination.

In the present dispute, the central issue is no longer simply whether VDM made the allegations, as he has openly stood by them. The key question is whether the activist possesses verifiable evidence capable of establishing the specific claims he made against police personnel and other security agencies.

For now, the Nigeria Police Force has asked him to produce that evidence, while VDM has challenged the Force to charge him to court, where he says he will present it.

Neither the allegation that police officers facilitate kidnappings nor VDM's broader claims that security agencies deliberately benefit from insecurity has been judicially established. The matter remains a dispute between the activist and the police, with any criminal or disciplinary liability ultimately requiring evidence and due process.