Falana Critiques NBA for Inviting VeryDarkMan to Conference

Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer, condemned the Nigerian Bar Association's (NBA) decision to invite social media personality Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), as a panellist at its annual conference in Port Harcourt. VDM participated in a panel session titled “Known Gunmen or Unknown Gunmen” on Tuesday, where he discussed his experiences covering insecurity in Nigeria.

Falana expressed his disappointment during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, stating that the NBA should have invited individuals with professional experience relevant to national security discussions. He emphasized that past NBA conferences featured knowledgeable individuals who contributed intellectually, contrasting this with the current trend of inviting individuals without relevant expertise.

Falana likened the situation to inviting someone without a background in media to discuss press freedom. During the panel, Otse alleged that police officers at checkpoints identify wealthy travelers and inform kidnappers, facilitating abductions for ransom.