The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has presented a recognition award to social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, during its ongoing 2026 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The award was presented to VeryDarkMan on Tuesday after he participated as a panellist at the conference, where he shared his experiences on insecurity and other issues affecting the country.
Presenting the award, the moderator, on behalf of the NBA president and members, stated that the association appreciated VeryDarkMan for being present at the conference and sharing his experiences with the participants.
“On behalf of the president and members of the Nigeria Association, I present this award to be here with us and share your own experience. But please, when you are attacked, don’t kill. Report to the police.”
The moderator thereafter invited VDM and other officials for a photograph.
Chronicle NG reports that Otse had earlier clarified the reason for his invitation to the conference, saying he was not invited to lecture lawyers on legal matters but to share his experiences.
“There has been a lot of debate about why I was invited to this NBA conference. I’m not here to teach you people law; I’m here to share experience,” he said.
Speaking during the session, VDM expressed concern over insecurity in the country and criticised what he described as inadequate media coverage of killings.
“This is not a topic of ‘may I, my lord’ because your lords are being kidnapped,” he stated, while recalling the reported abduction of a judge travelling from Sokoto State who, according to him, was kidnapped in Kebbi State on July 26 and released about a week later.
He also chastised media outlets for providing insufficient coverage on security-related attacks and fatalities.
“When the killings happened, our media are now lazy, and they did not really cover these killings and the results of these unknown gunmen,” he stated.
Speaking about the June 13, 2025 attack on Yelwata in Benue State’s Guma Local Government Area, which was believed to have killed over 200 people and destroyed property worth millions of naira, Otse stated that he has directly witnessed the aftermath of violent attacks.
“I was the first respondent at Yelwata. I was also the first respondent when some women were killed some time ago. I’ve seen blood and seen people burnt alive.
“In Yelwata, it was Fulani that attacked. It was a retaliation because a Fulani boy was killed and these guys came back to attack.”
His statements on the Yelwata attack came as the investigation into the incident was ongoing.
A prosecution witness, Moses Paul, a team commander of the Nigeria Police Force’s Intelligence Response Team, told the Federal High Court in Abuja in February 2026 that some dissatisfied Fulani chiefs funded more than 200 armed men to carry out the attack.
Otse’s attendance at the NBA conference has sparked public interest, with the influencer previously stating that his invitation was based on his experiences and advocacy for insecurity, not legal knowledge.
