Social critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has apologised to soldiers, police officers, customs and immigration personnel over comments he made during the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference.
VeryDarkMan issued the apology in a video shared on Friday, saying he had reflected on his speech in which he referred to military, police, immigration and customs personnel as “unknown gunmen” while speaking on insecurity in Nigeria.
The social critic admitted that the remark was unfair to security personnel risking their lives to protect Nigerians, particularly soldiers battling Boko Haram and other security threats.
He explained that his criticism was targeted at alleged corruption, sabotage and information leaks involving some individuals within the security agencies, rather than the entire security establishment.
However, he acknowledged that the manner in which he made the point amounted to a sweeping generalisation that could diminish the sacrifices of security personnel who have died in the line of duty.
“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.
Addressing the Chief of Defence Staff and other security authorities, VeryDarkMan urged them to convey his apology to personnel serving in dangerous conditions.
“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 the families of fallen security personnel who may have felt offended by his remarks.
“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 added.
The apology comes as VeryDarkMan seeks to draw a clear line between his criticism of alleged misconduct within security institutions and the sacrifices of officers and soldiers serving on the frontline.
