Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate and dismiss a police officer seen in a viral video allegedly demanding money from a motorist and making a tribal remark.
The call followed the circulation of a video shared on VDM’s official social media platforms, showing a police officer stopping a motorist for a routine check and requesting his driver’s licence and vehicle documents.
According to the footage, the motorist presented all the required documents, which the officer examined before allegedly asking him to “settle” him. The driver reportedly declined, stating that he had no money to offer.
The video further showed the officer returning the vehicle documents but allegedly withholding the driver’s licence. During the encounter, the officer was heard saying, “If it is another person or Igbo or other persons, I will just say go and park there.”
Reacting to the incident, VDM condemned the officer’s alleged remarks, describing them as discriminatory and inconsistent with the professional standards expected of members of the Nigeria Police Force.
“This is coming from a public servant who has been trained to treat every Nigerian equally, regardless of tribe,” VDM said, expressing concern over what he described as ethnic bias by a law enforcement officer.
The activist also alleged that the officer’s refusal to release the driver’s licence despite finding no fault with the vehicle documents suggested an attempt to extort the motorist. According to him, the officer’s instruction to the driver to “go and do better thing make you dey go” implied that he expected a monetary payment before allowing the motorist to continue his journey.
VDM further criticized what he described as the persistent culture of extortion at police checkpoints, arguing that motorists who possess valid vehicle documents should not be subjected to demands for unofficial payments.
He urged the Inspector-General of Police to launch an immediate investigation into the incident and take disciplinary action if the allegations are confirmed, warning that such conduct could encourage harassment of motorists and promote ethnic profiling within the police force.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force had not issued an official statement regarding the viral video or the allegations raised by the activist.
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