Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has apologised to soldiers, police officers, customs and immigration personnel over controversial remarks he made at the Nigerian Bar Association’s (NBA) 66th Annual General Conference.

Otse issued the apology in a video shared on Friday, saying he had reflected on his speech and realised that his comments were unfair to security personnel who risk their lives to protect Nigerians.

The activist had spoken at the NBA conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he described the military, police, immigration and customs personnel as “unknown gunmen” while discussing insecurity in Nigeria.

However, Otse clarified in his latest video that he was not accusing all security personnel of involvement in criminal activities.

VeryDarkMan Says Remarks Were Unfair to SoldiersAccording to Otse, his comments were intended to draw attention to alleged corruption, information leaks and sabotage by some individuals within the security agencies.

He admitted, however, that the way he presented his argument made it appear as though he was making a general accusation against the entire security establishment.

“I don’t think I was fair to a lot of people, particularly the speech where I said that the military are the unknown gunmen, the police are the unknown gunmen, you know, the immigration, the customs,” he said.

Otse said he was particularly concerned about soldiers deployed to the bush to fight Boko Haram and other security threats.

“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.

The activist added that soldiers and other security personnel had lost their lives in the line of duty and should not be unfairly grouped with individuals he accused of wrongdoing.

VDM Apologises to Defence Chief, Security PersonnelOtse subsequently apologised to the Chief of Defence Staff, as well as the leadership and personnel of the various security agencies.

“So I will go further to say to the Chief of Defence Staff, Sir, 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.

He also apologised to members of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigeria Immigration Service.Otse extended the apology to families of security personnel who had died while serving the country.

“To the families of these heroes that might have also felt offended by this speech, knowing fully well that their brother, their sister, their son, their husband fought and died for this country, I am really, really sorry,” he said.

VeryDarkMan Maintains Claim of ‘Bad Eggs’Despite apologising for generalising, Otse maintained that there are individuals within Nigeria’s security agencies who are allegedly involved in corruption and sabotage.

He stressed that his original speech was aimed at drawing attention to what he described as “bad eggs” within the security forces.

“My speech was not to discourage you. My speech was entirely to talk about the bad eggs in our security operative, our security forces,” he said.

Otse alleged that some personnel compromise security operations through information leaks and other forms of sabotage.

He also acknowledged that there are many honest and dedicated officers within the security agencies.

“But there’s still a lot of more good people, a lot of more good people, and I know a lot of them,” he said.

VDM Says Comments Could Discourage Soldiers

The activist said he became particularly concerned that his remarks could negatively affect the morale of soldiers serving in dangerous locations.

“Imagine a soldier fighting in the bush and he watches VDM’s video, and he’s like, ‘Ah, VDM is one of us now, unknown gunman.’ That would discourage him, to be honest,” he said.

Otse urged security personnel who are genuinely protecting Nigerians not to be discouraged by his comments.

“And please don’t be discouraged, please, please, don’t be discouraged. We’re there behind you now, and we’ll always support you,” he said.

He also said his interactions with some police officers had given him insight into the challenges facing the force.

According to him, he has previously shared information with police officers to assist them in responding to alleged criminal activities.

VeryDarkMan Warns Alleged Security SaboteursWhile apologising for his generalisation, Otse maintained his criticism of personnel he accused of sabotaging security operations, supplying arms or leaking information to terrorists

.“But then again, to the bad eggs, your days are numbered.“To all of you in the military that are sabotaging and causing deaths to your officers, your days are numbered,” he said.

NBA Conference Controversy

The apology comes amid controversy surrounding Otse’s appearance at the NBA’s 66th Annual General Conference, where his participation and comments attracted criticism.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana had criticised the decision to have Otse participate in discussions at the conference, arguing that specialised topics should be handled by experienced professionals.

Otse later responded to his critics, defending his invitation to the conference and explaining why he was selected to speak at the event.

His latest apology, however, marks a clarification of his remarks about security personnel, while he continues to maintain that alleged corruption and sabotage within the security agencies should be addressed.