The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has strongly condemned the unauthorized use of its official uniform and accoutrements by controversial blogger and activist Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), in a viral video posted on social media. In the video, Otse introduced himself as CSP VeryDarkMan, claiming to be Nigeria’s number one online police and vowing to combat oppressors in the social media space, particularly targeting online vendors.
The NPF stated that it has launched an investigation into the matter to determine the source of the police gear used by Otse and the authority under which he operated. The police emphasized that unauthorized use of police uniforms and insignia constitutes a criminal offense under Section 251 of the Criminal Code Law and Section 133 of the Penal Code Law, which carry strict penalties.
While acknowledging the creativity of young Nigerian content creators, the NPF cautioned against the misuse of police regalia, stating that such actions undermine the values and integrity of the force and will not be tolerated.