Activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has challenged the Nigeria Police Force to charge him to court over his allegation that some security personnel aid kidnappers and bandits.
VDM’s response came on Thursday after the Police Force invited him to provide evidence backing claims he made at the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Speaking at the conference, Otse alleged that police officers manning checkpoints along major highways identify wealthy travellers and pass information about their identities and movements to kidnappers, who then use the information to target victims.
The Police Force subsequently rejected the allegation as unsubstantiated and asked the social critic to provide evidence to support his claims.
In his response, VDM said he was prepared to face the authorities but would not submit the evidence he claimed to possess during a police invitation.
“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 in a video posted on his Instagram page.
He also challenged the Force to take legal action against him if it believed his allegations were false or amounted to an offence.
“So when I get to your office, you charge me to court. I can go to court on that same day. My lawyers are on ground,” he said.
In a separate social media post, Otse maintained his position, writing, “To the Nigerian police I SAID WHAT I SAID, you will get your evidence when I am charged to court.”
He went on to repeat his allegation against the security agencies, writing, “THE POLICE ARE THE UNKNOWN gunmen and they aid kidnappings and the military are also the unknown gunmen.”
The activist also accused other security agencies of contributing to the persistence of insecurity in the country and questioned why kidnapping, banditry and terrorism continued despite government spending on security.
“It is the police people that aid insecurity. It is the military men that benefit from insecurity. That’s why it can never stop,” he alleged.
Despite his criticism, Otse also called for better welfare for police officers, saying improved working conditions would help strengthen security in the country.
“There is no welfare for the Nigerian police. If you want Nigeria’s security to be tightened, you have to take care of our policemen. Take care of them,” he said.
The Police Force, in its earlier statement, said officers deployed to checkpoints were there to prevent crime, detect criminal activity and protect citizens.
The Force invited anyone with credible evidence of misconduct by its personnel to come forward, promising that such information would be treated with urgency and investigated.