The Nigeria Police Force has challenged social critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), to provide evidence to support his allegation that police officers at highway checkpoints leak travellers’ identities and movements to kidnappers.
VDM made the allegation at the recent Nigerian Bar Association Conference in Port Harcourt, where he accused officers manning checkpoints of providing information to criminals to help them identify and target potential victims for ransom.
Reacting to the claim, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, in a statement issued on Thursday, August 27, described the allegation as unsubstantiated and damaging.
Iniedu said police officers deployed to highways and checkpoints across the country were responsible for preventing crime, detecting criminal activities and protecting motorists and other road users.
“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 kidnapping,” he said.
He noted that police officers routinely confronted criminal elements and had suffered attacks and casualties in the line of duty.
According to him, police personnel had been ambushed, attacked and killed, while police stations, formations and operational assets had also been targeted by terrorists, kidnappers and other violent criminals.
Iniedu said police officers deserved better than blanket accusations and urged VDM to come forward with evidence to substantiate his claims.
“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 kidnappers for the purpose of facilitating their abduction,” he said.
He added that any credible evidence provided would be treated with urgency and thoroughly investigated.
The police spokesperson also encouraged members of the public with evidence of misconduct by police officers to report through the appropriate channels to enable the authorities to take necessary action.
