Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has apologised to members of Nigeria’s security agencies over comments he made during the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference.
Otse issued the apology in a video shared on Friday, saying he had reflected on his remarks and realised that his comments were unfair to many security personnel who risk their lives to protect Nigerians.
During his appearance at the NBA conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the activist had referred to members of the military, police, immigration and customs services as “unknown gunmen” while discussing insecurity in the country.
However, in his latest statement, Otse clarified that he was not accusing every member of the security agencies of involvement in criminal activities.
He acknowledged that his choice of words appeared to generalise the actions of security personnel, particularly soldiers serving in dangerous areas.
“I don’t think I was fair to a lot of people,” Otse said, referring to the speech in which he described security personnel as unknown gunmen.
The activist specifically expressed concern for soldiers deployed to the bushes to fight Boko Haram and other security threats.
He said such personnel had sacrificed their lives to protect Nigerians and should not have been included in a broad characterisation of those allegedly involved in wrongdoing.
Otse explained that his original intention was to draw attention to what he described as “bad eggs” within the security agencies.
According to him, he wanted authorities to examine allegations of corruption, information leaks and possible sabotage within the security system.
“My speech was not to discourage you,” he said, stressing that his comments were directed at individuals he believed were undermining the work of the security agencies.
He nevertheless admitted that the manner in which he delivered his argument made it sound as though he was accusing the entire security establishment.
Otse said he therefore considered it unfair, particularly to fallen soldiers who had made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of the country.
