Social critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as
VeryDarkMan, has apologised to members of the military, police, Customs and
Immigration services over comments he made during the Nigerian Bar
Association’s 66th Annual General Conference.
VeryDarkMan issued the apology in a video shared on
Friday, September 4, after reflecting on his remarks during a discussion on
insecurity. He had referred to personnel from the military, police, immigration
and customs services as “unknown gunmen.”
The social critic acknowledged that the statement was
unfair, particularly to security personnel who risk their lives daily to
protect Nigerians.
He specifically mentioned soldiers fighting Boko Haram
and other security threats, noting that many personnel had made the ultimate
sacrifice in the line of duty.
According to VeryDarkMan, his criticism was not
directed at security agencies as a whole but at what he described as “bad eggs”
within the security system. He alleged that corruption, sabotage and the
leaking of sensitive information by some individuals were undermining security
operations.
He, however, admitted that the way he expressed his
concerns amounted to a generalisation that could diminish the sacrifices of
security personnel.
“That speech was not fair, especially to the soldiers
that are in the bushes fighting Boko Haram to protect our lands, to protect our
lives, and to protect our families,” he said.
VeryDarkMan said he did not believe it was appropriate
to describe such personnel as “unknown gunmen”, considering the sacrifices they
had made for the country.
He explained that his intention was to draw attention
to individuals within the security agencies whose actions may be contributing
to the challenges faced by their colleagues on the frontline.
He also appealed to the Chief of Defence Staff and
other security authorities to convey his apology to personnel serving in
dangerous locations.
“I really want to apologise for that speech, and I
don’t want to discourage your boys. Please extend my apologies to your boys, to
the ones that are in the bush protecting our lands,” he said.
VeryDarkMan also apologised to families of security
personnel who may have been offended by his remarks, especially families whose
loved ones had died while serving the country.
“To the families of these heroes that might have also
felt offended by this speech... I am really, really sorry,” he added.
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