Social media personality Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has agreed to honour a police invitation over allegations he made against the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Command, AIG Moshood Jimoh, but has outlined conditions aimed at ensuring transparency during the investigation.
In a statement issued through his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, on Wednesday, VDM said he was prepared to fully cooperate with the Nigeria Police Force, provided the investigative process is conducted in a fair, transparent and accountable manner.
The statement followed the Nigeria Police Force’s August 4 announcement confirming that VDM had been invited by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja, to provide evidence in support of allegations he made against the senior police officer.
According to the legal team, VDM welcomed the decision by the police to investigate the allegations, stressing that he has never resisted any lawful investigation.
“Our client appreciates the decision of the Nigeria Police Force to commence an official investigation into the concerns he raised and reiterates his willingness to cooperate with the investigation,” the statement read.
It added, “For the avoidance of doubt, our client has never opposed any lawful investigation. On the contrary, he remains ready, willing and available to honour any invitation lawfully extended to him by the Nigeria Police Force.”
However, the lawyers argued that because of the public interest generated by the case, the rank of the officer involved and the need to maintain public confidence, the investigation must be carried out under strict transparency measures.
As part of the conditions for honouring the invitation, VDM’s legal team requested that representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), civil society organisations and other independent observers be permitted to monitor the interview process.
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