VeryDarkMan apologises to Nigerian security agencies over NBA speech

VeryDarkMan has apologised to Nigerian security personnel after describing the military, police, immigration and customs services as “unknown gunmen” during a speech at the Nigerian Bar Association’s annual conference in Port Harcourt.

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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.

In a video shared on Friday, Martins Vincent Otse said he had reflected on the remarks and recognised that they were unfair to personnel risking their lives to protect Nigerians. He singled out soldiers fighting Boko Haram and other threats in remote areas, saying it was wrong to place them under the same label.

“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,” Otse said. He added that he had evidence for the point he was trying to make, but acknowledged that the way he presented it sounded like a sweeping accusation.

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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.

Otse said his intended target was what he called the “bad eggs” within the security forces. He argued that alleged information leaks and internal sabotage should receive greater attention from agency leaders, while insisting that his speech was not meant to discourage security personnel.

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My speech was entirely to talk about the bad eggs in our security operative, our security forces.

He apologised to the Chief of Defence Staff and asked that his message be passed to soldiers serving in the bush. He also apologised to police, customs and immigration authorities, as well as families of security personnel who had died serving the country. “I don’t think it’s fair to say they are also the unknown gunmen,” he said of the soldiers.

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I am really, really sorry.