The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has challenged social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), to provide evidence backing his allegation that some police officers at checkpoints share information about travellers with kidnappers and bandits.
VDM reportedly made the allegation while speaking at the recent Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Conference in Port Harcourt, claiming that police officers manning checkpoints along major highways identify wealthy travellers and relay information about their identities and movements to criminal groups to facilitate abductions for ransom.
Reacting to the allegation, the Nigeria Police Force described the claim as “unsubstantiated” and unfairly damaging to an institution saddled with protecting millions of Nigerians.
The Force, in a statement, said allegations of such gravity require corresponding evidence, stressing that the required standard of proof had not been met.
According to the police, officers deployed to checkpoints and other locations across the country are tasked with preventing crime, detecting criminal activities and protecting citizens, rather than facilitating kidnappings.
The Force also pointed to the risks faced by police personnel in the course of their duties, saying officers routinely confront the same criminal elements accused of receiving information from them.
It noted that several police officers had been ambushed, attacked and killed, while police stations, formations and operational assets had also been targeted by terrorists, kidnappers and other violent criminals.
The police further appealed against what it described as blanket accusations against its personnel, saying hundreds of thousands of officers report for duty daily under difficult, underfunded and dangerous conditions.
It said many officers man checkpoints that are exposed to the same criminal elements they are deployed to keep off the nation’s highways.
“Where individual officers are found to have compromised their duty, they will face the full weight of internal discipline and the law,” the Force said, while maintaining that the entire institution should not be condemned based on a public statement made without evidence.
The Nigeria Police Force consequently invited VDM to produce, without delay, the evidence upon which he based his allegations.
It specifically requested any evidence showing that police personnel at checkpoints identify wealthy individuals and subsequently transmit information about them to kidnappers to facilitate their abduction.
The Force said any evidence provided would be treated with urgency and thoroughly investigated.
It also urged members of the public who possess credible evidence of police misconduct to submit such information through appropriate channels to enable investigations and necessary action.
The police reaffirmed their commitment to transparency and accountability, saying credible allegations of misconduct would continue to be investigated regardless of how they arise.
However, the Force warned against unverified allegations capable of diminishing public confidence in national security institutions.
It called on members of the public to distinguish between legitimate criticism, which it said strengthens accountability, and unsubstantiated claims that could undermine public trust and national security.
