The Nigeria Police Force’s demand for evidence from social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, over his allegation that some police officers relay travellers’ information to kidnappers has triggered mixed reactions on social media. The Force had on Thursday challenged VeryDarkMan to substantiate his claim that officers……
The Nigeria Police Force’s demand for evidence from social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, over his allegation that some police officers relay travellers’ information to kidnappers has triggered mixed reactions on social media.
The Force had on Thursday challenged VeryDarkMan to substantiate his claim that officers manning checkpoints along major highways identify wealthy travellers and pass their details to kidnappers and bandits to facilitate abductions.
The allegation was made by VeryDarkMan during a session at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Conference in Port Harcourt, where he spoke about insecurity and the role of security agencies.
In its response, the police rejected the claim as unsubstantiated and said officers deployed to checkpoints were tasked with preventing crime and protecting motorists, not the other way round.
The Force also invited VeryDarkMan to provide evidence, promising that any information submitted would be investigated.
The development has since divided opinions among users on X, with some backing the police demand for evidence while others urged the Force to investigate the concerns raised by the influencer.
An X user, @Ollyg4real, said the police response was necessary, writing, “I expect this kind of response to come immediately without any delay to counter VDM submission, cos you can’t just make allegations without any evidence to back it up.”
Another user, @PrinceMerit_SA, cautioned against generalising allegations while urging the police to investigate them.
“As I’ve said, every institution, organisation, or agency has bad eggs among them. But generalisation is dangerous and can put the effort of the good ones in jeopardy and can demoralise them. I urge the police to take these allegations very seriously and do a proper investigation,” the user wrote.
Some users, however, openly backed VeryDarkMan and questioned the effectiveness of police checkpoints in preventing kidnappings.
@rusev158 wrote, “Finally you guys have something to hang on his head; he can never make such a statement and never back it up. God bless our police.”
But @Henryba007 questioned why kidnappings continued despite the presence of checkpoints on major highways.
“It’s suspicious that in that south you could literally see a checkpoint from a checkpoint, but kidnapping somehow is still being carried out successfully and with annoying frequency. People are not fools, sirs,” the user wrote.
Another X user, @GSKE2009, supported the police demand for evidence but also acknowledged that misconduct could occur within security agencies.
“This press release falls short of declaring unequivocally that unsubstantiated carpet statements against any institution, including the NPF, are unacceptable and may be subject to prosecution,” the user wrote.
“There are bad eggs in any institution, even in sane societies, but it is absolutely unacceptable to make such serious allegations based on intuitions and without an atom of credible evidence.”
The user added that VeryDarkMan’s claim should be investigated if he could provide evidence, writing, “What VDM said was unacceptable unless he got at least some evidence to substantiate his allegations; otherwise, he should be subject to investigations and possible prosecution.”
The Police Force has maintained that officers found to have compromised their duties would face disciplinary action and prosecution, while urging members of the public with credible evidence of misconduct to report through appropriate channels.
