The Nigeria Police Force has challenged social critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, to provide evidence backing his claim that police officers at highway checkpoints collude with kidnappers.
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Speaking as a panellist at the recent Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, VeryDarkMan accused checkpoint officers of monitoring motorists, identifying wealthy travellers, and leaking their movements to criminals for ransom.
Reacting to the allegations on August 27, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, dismissed the claims as unsubstantiated and unfairly damaging to the institution. Iniedu reiterating that highway personnel are deployed to prevent crime and safeguard citizens.
‘’For the avoidance of doubt, police personnel deployed to checkpoints and other locations nationwide are there to prevent crime, detect criminal activity and protect citizens, not to facilitate k!dnapping. Indeed, these same police officers routinely confront the very criminal elements alleged to be receiving such information. Police personnel have been ambushed, attacked and k!lled, while police stations, formations and operational assets have equally been targeted by terrorists, k!dnappers and other violent criminals.
Ani argued that police officers deserve better than blanket accusations and invited the critic to promptly submit any proof to the police for an urgent and thorough investigation,
‘’The Nigeria Police Force hereby invites Mr. Martins Vincent Otse to produce, without delay, the evidence upon which he based these serious allegations, including any evidence that police personnel at checkpoints identify wealthy individuals and subsequently transmit information about them to k!dnappers for the purpose of facilitating their abduction. Any such information will be treated with urgency and investigated thoroughly. We encourage any member of the public with credible evidence of officer misconduct to come forward through these channels rather than through public allegation alone, so that appropriate action can be taken’.’ he said
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