VeryDarkMan Highlights Insecurity, Attacks on Judiciary at NBA Conference

Social media influencer Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, addressed attendees at the Nigerian Bar Association's 2026 Annual General Conference, clarifying his role as a panelist. He emphasized that his presence was not to lecture legal professionals but to share his experiences, particularly concerning the nation's escalating insecurity and its impact on the judiciary.

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There has been a lot of debate about why I was invited to this NBA conference. I’m not here to teach you people law; I’m here to share experience.

"This is not a topic of ‘may I, my lord’ because your lords are being kidnapped," Otse stated, referencing the reported abduction of a judge who was held for about a week before release. He voiced strong criticism of media organizations, accusing them of being "lazy" and failing to adequately cover the killings perpetrated by "unknown gunmen." Otse asserted that the media's lack of coverage allows such violence to persist without sufficient public scrutiny.

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This is not a topic of ‘may I, my lord’ because your lords are being kidnapped.

Otse recounted his experiences as a first responder to violent incidents, including the June 13, 2025, attack on Yelwata in Benue State, which he claimed resulted in over 200 deaths and significant property destruction. He described witnessing "blood and people burnt alive" and stated that the Yelwata attack was a retaliation for the killing of a Fulani boy. According to a prosecution witness in a Federal High Court trial, some Fulani chiefs allegedly sponsored armed men for the Yelwata attack.

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When the killings happened, our media are now lazy, and they do not really cover these killings and the results of these unknown gunmen.