Police Invite VeryDarkMan Over Allegations That Officers Feed Kidnappers Information on Travellers

The Nigeria Police Force has invited social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, to provide evidence supporting his claim that some police officers at checkpoints share information about travellers with kidnappers and bandits.

VeryDarkMan made the allegation on Tuesday while participating as a panelist at the 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

During the discussion, the activist accused some police personnel stationed along major highways of passing information about travellers to criminal groups. He claimed that such information could be used to identify potential victims and facilitate kidnappings for ransom.

The allegation has now drawn a direct response from the Nigeria Police Force, which rejected the claim and demanded that VeryDarkMan substantiate his accusations.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, said police officers deployed to checkpoints and other locations across the country were assigned to prevent crime, detect criminal activities and protect members of the public.

The Force argued that its personnel routinely confront the same criminal elements accused of carrying out kidnappings and banditry. It therefore called on VeryDarkMan to provide any evidence showing that officers identify wealthy travellers and subsequently pass their details or movements to kidnappers.

The police said any credible information provided by the activist would be treated as a matter of urgency and thoroughly investigated. It also encouraged members of the public who have evidence of misconduct by police officers to report through official channels rather than relying solely on public allegations.

The development puts the spotlight on the wider concerns surrounding highway security and kidnapping in Nigeria, while also setting the stage for VeryDarkMan to substantiate a serious allegation involving law enforcement personnel.