The social media policeman forcing social change in Nigeria
Martins Otse, a.k.a
A different kind of Sheriff
Nigerians have seen social crusaders from as far back as anyone can remember, from the likes of Fela Anikulapo Kuti – progenitor of Afro beat music – his younger brother, Dr. Beko Ransome Kuti and Gani Fawhehinmi, the legal titan (all of them late). The common thread that ran through their activities was that they fought the governments of the day on behalf of Nigeria’s downtrodden, with the singular objective of forcing social change.
Today, a new social crusader has appeared on the scene taking the country by storm. This crusader is neither a musician, nor a lawyer. He uses the power of social media which was not available at the time of his predecessors. His name is Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM). The name aptly describes the bearer – tall, with the physique of a body builder and, unmistakably, very dark in complexion.
The 30-year -old indigene of Edo State set out in 2020 to be a social media influencer, but one with a difference. He did not set out to use his platform to make money. He does not do endorsements or advertisements. He does not seek monetary rewards from followership by monetizing his page.
According to him, he wanted to make a positive impact on the society in the best way possible; to give everyone a voice and a chance to be heard. He describes himself as an online policeman, not a run-of-the-mill activist. It is a role he is playing very effectively, worming his way into the hearts of Nigerians.
Over the years, VDM has forced his way into national consciousness as a social crusader like no other. Unlike Fela, Fawhehinmi and Beko, his target is not just the government, its appointees and people in positions of authority. Anybody in a privileged position that seeks to use that position to trample on the rights of others, especially those in the lower rung of the socio-economic ladder, comes under his searchlight. This includes, quite interestingly, people within his age bracket and social class, including even his friends.
It’s a curious paradox that VDM is not a lawyer who would be expected to use the law courts and the legal system to seek justice for the oppressed. He uses an unorthodox justice system that delivers results in a matter of hours, shorter than the period needed to achieve the same objective in the conventional courts, the reason he is increasingly becoming, quite curiously, the last hope of the common man. Victims of any form of injustice, oppression or wrongdoing now turn to him to get justice, rather than go to the police, especially considering the tedious and most times frustrating journey of obtaining justice using the police and the law courts. This is in addition to spending money at the police station without achieving anything.
The emergence of VDM as a social crusader to watch came in 2022, when a lady who had bought a product from the stable of Jenny’s Glow, a skin care manufacturer, called out the company for the damage its product caused to her skin. VDM jumped into the fray, literally taking on the company and extending the fight to manufacturers who sell products that do not carry NAFDAC numbers.
However, VDM’s involvement in the skin care issue was nothing compared to the furore he caused in September, 2024, when he released a video on social media in which he played a voice note recording which crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, a.k.a. Bobrisky, was heard telling a creditor how he spent his six-month jail term outside the confines of the prison after allegedly bribing officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The post attracted national attention because of the mention of human rights lawyer, Femi Falana and his son, Folarin, a popular musician that goes by the stage name of Falz. But most importantly, it brought to public knowledge something that had all along been known to occur, namely, the fact that highly placed individuals pay bribe to avoid being kept in prison cells upon being convicted for offences they committed.
Though the social media posts by VDM raised concern about pertinent national issues, including issues that bordered on defamation, it achieved his objective of forcing Bobrisky to pay back a loan of N4 million which he collected from an unnamed individual while serving his jail term, but which he allegedly refused to pay. Whether by design or default, that action established VDM as perhaps the most reliable and effective debt collector, and one that people could turn to on matters concerning refusal by people to pay back debts they collected.
It is as simple as contacting him with the necessary proofs like documents, recorded telephone conversations, text messages and WhatsApp conversations.
Armed with these facts, VDM would contact the person refusing to pay a debt, with an ultimatum (usually 24 hours) to refund the money or risk being made popular on social media for the wrong reasons. The threat would not only be on the debtor, but his family, friends and everyone connected to him. Available evidence shows that this method works faster than the legal system, as those involved usually pay up before expiration of the deadline, to avoid being shredded on social media.
One of such cases involved a native doctor who allegedly collected N2 million from a man for the purpose of preparing a good luck charm for him, but failed to deliver. Not only did he fail to do that for which he collected the money, he threatened to get the man arrested by the police for allegedly threatening his life. The table turned when the client threatened to report the native doctor to VDM if he did not refund the money. To prevent that from happening and knowing the implication of being called out by the online policeman, the native doctor refunded the money, but with an additional N500, 000, more than what he collected.
Ubi Franklin, a former Big Brother Africa winner and popular social media influencer, has found himself receiving a dose of VDM’s medicine for refusing to refund the sum of N10 million he allegedly collected from a friend for a business that went awry. After VDM issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Franklin to refund the money or have his dirty linen washed in public, he sent in N3 million before the end of the deadline, with promise to refund the balance. Indeed, the fear of VDM is the beginning of wisdom.
The online policeman is not only concerned about money matters. He looks into social issues, as well. After he got a report that the wife of a senator from Taraba State got a skit maker arrested and detained by the police for allegedly insulting her husband by publishing a road in a deplorable condition in the latter’s constituency which he has neglected despite the huge amounts he collects as constituency project, VDM gave the woman 24 hours to get the boy released or risk trending on social media in a manner she, her husband, family and friends would not be comfortable with.
A female university student whose boyfriend published her nude videos on social media for getting the police to force him to refund the sum of N30, 000 he borrowed from her and refused to pay turned to VDM for redress. The social crusader published a video in which he gave the estranged boyfriend 24 hours to get the videos deleted, failure of which he would get the police to go after him for cyberbullying.
An interesting side of VDM that is fast gaining public admiration is his commitment to charity. Not being an influencer with financial motives, he launched a non-governmental organization to raise money for his charity work which is focused primarily on equipping public schools and giving indigent children opportunity to receive good education. The money would not only equip public schools with modern teaching aids, but would also enable him to engage serving National Youth Service Corps members to teach in those schools. It is a measure of the love and acceptability he enjoys from the public that within 24 hours of announcing the setting up of the NGO, over N75 million had entered his account, from Nigerians from all walks of life, with some donating as little as N100. At the time of going to press, the accounted boasted of an amount above N265 million. He gives a minute-by-minute update of the monies that enter the account, to guarantee transparency and accountability. He has challenged celebrities who raise money from the public for charity purposes to publish the amounts they raise and how the monies are spent.
A funny twist to the exercise came when VDM raised the alarm about a strange donation of N100 million from a source he could not easily identify. Afraid he might be set up for destruction by people he did not know, he contacted his bank to find out the source of the donation, only to receive a text message from record producer and Chief Executive Officer of Mavin Records, Michael Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy, indicating he was the donor of the amount.
One thing that VDM has going for him is the credibility and integrity he as built in the course of his activities. He would not get involved in any issue if he has not personally done his own investigation to establish its veracity. That is why he says openly that anyone can say anything about him, or call him any name, but none can fault anything he says about an issue on grounds of falsehood or inaccuracy. On matters relating to his charity work, he regularly publishes donations and the balance in the account of his NGO for the public to see.
In a country where integrity is a scarce commodity, VDM is a refreshing difference and a source of inspiration to Nigerians, especially the younger generation who have lost hope in the country. He has taken on the role of not just a social crusader but, as he explains, an online policeman who is ready to use the power of social media to tackle the ills and anomalies that plague Nigeria and retard its development. He means different things to different people. To people in authority and positions of influence, he is a threat and a nuisance that must not be allowed to thrive. To those at the receiving end of injustice or oppression of any form, he is a savior and He mocks his critics and traducers by saying no one can bring him down, since he has never been up there in the first place. And he has no intention of getting up the socio-economic ladder, as he is not enamoured of material things. But despite the fact that he is not out for money, VDM may just find himself living well on public goodwill which he is increasingly enjoying.
