The Nigeria Police Force has challenged Martins Otse, social media personality popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), to provide evidence backing his allegation that police officers manning checkpoints on major highways collude with kidnappers and bandits to facilitate the abduction of travellers for ransom.
The Force described the allegation as serious, unsubstantiated and damaging to the reputation of an institution responsible for protecting millions of Nigerians.
Otse reportedly made the allegation at the recently concluded Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Conference in Port Harcourt, where he claimed that some police officers deployed at checkpoints allegedly obtain information about travellers, particularly wealthy individuals, and pass such details to criminal groups to facilitate their abduction.
Reacting to the claim, the police said it would not dismiss credible allegations of misconduct involving its personnel but insisted that accusations of such magnitude must be supported by verifiable evidence.
In a statement issued by Anietie Iniedu, Force Public Relations Officer, the police said it had been informed of VDM’s comments and urged him to immediately submit whatever evidence he possessed to enable the authorities to investigate the claims.
“The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to comments made by Mr Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as ‘VeryDarkMan’ (VDM), at the recent Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Conference in Port Harcourt, in which he alleged that police officers manning checkpoints along major highways relay information to kidnappers and bandits regarding the identity and movement of travellers, thereby facilitating abductions for ransom,” the statement said.
The Force said police personnel deployed to checkpoints and other strategic locations across the country were primarily tasked with preventing crime, detecting suspicious activities and protecting citizens and other road users.
It stressed that the presence of officers along major highways was intended to deter criminal activities and provide security for travellers rather than expose them to kidnappers.
According to the police, the allegations require a corresponding standard of proof because of their potential implications for public confidence in the security architecture and the safety of police personnel deployed across the country.
“Indeed, these same police officers routinely confront the very criminal elements alleged to be receiving such information,” the Force said.
It added that police officers had repeatedly been ambushed, attacked and killed by terrorists, kidnappers and other violent criminals, while police stations, formations and operational assets had also come under attack.
The Force said it was therefore unfair to portray its entire personnel as collaborators with criminals based on allegations that had not been supported with evidence.
It noted that hundreds of thousands of police officers continue to report for duty under difficult, underfunded and often dangerous conditions, including at checkpoints where they are exposed to the same criminal elements they are deployed to prevent from operating on major roads.
The police said broad allegations portraying the institution as complicit in kidnapping could demoralise officers who were carrying out their duties with integrity.
“Where individual officers are found to have compromised their duty, they will face the full weight of internal discipline and the law.
“But an entire institution should not be condemned on the strength of a public statement made without evidence”, the statement said.
The Force subsequently issued a direct challenge to VDM to submit any evidence supporting his claims, particularly evidence showing that police officers at checkpoints identify wealthy travellers and subsequently transmit their identities or movements to kidnappers for the purpose of facilitating their abduction.
It said any evidence provided would be treated as a matter of urgency and subjected to thorough investigation.
The police also appealed to members of the public who possess credible information about misconduct by its personnel to make formal reports through appropriate channels rather than relying solely on public allegations.
The Force said such reports would enable it to identify individual officers who may have violated their duties and take appropriate disciplinary or legal action.
“We will continue to investigate all credible allegations of misconduct, however they arise, and we will not hesitate to act where wrongdoing is established,” the statement noted.
The police spokesman also cautioned against making or circulating unverified allegations concerning national security institutions, warning that such claims could undermine public confidence and potentially have wider implications for national security.
The Force maintained that legitimate criticism of its operations and personnel was necessary to strengthen accountability, but argued that criticism should be distinguished from allegations that were not supported by credible evidence.
The development comes amid persistent concerns over kidnapping and other violent crimes on Nigeria’s highways, with security agencies under increasing pressure to protect travellers and dismantle criminal networks responsible for abductions for ransom.
While the police acknowledged that individual officers found to have compromised their duties would be held accountable, the Force maintained that allegations of institutional complicity must be backed by evidence before they can be established as fact.
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