VeryDarkMan, in a video shared on Instagram on Friday, said he had reflected on his speech and realised that his comments were unfair to security personnel who risk their lives to protect Nigerians.
The activist had, while speaking at the conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, referred to military, police, immigration and customs personnel as “unknown gunmen” during a discussion on insecurity.
However, he clarified that his remarks were not intended to accuse all security personnel of being involved in criminal activities.
“I don’t think I was fair to a lot of people, particularly the speech where I said that the military are the unknown gunmen, the police are the unknown gunmen, you know, the immigration, the customs,” he said.
VeryDarkMan said he was particularly concerned about soldiers fighting Boko Haram and other threats in the bush, noting that many had sacrificed their lives to protect Nigerians.
“That speech was not fair, especially to the soldiers that are in the bushes fighting Boko Haram to protect our lands, to protect our lives, and to protect our families,” he said.
He explained that his intention was to draw attention to alleged corruption and sabotage by some personnel within the security agencies rather than condemn the entire security forces.
“My speech was not to discourage you. My speech was entirely to talk about the bad eggs in our security operatives, our security forces, is to put attention on the bad eggs, so that the leaders in these security settings will look inward,” he said.
VeryDarkMan admitted, however, that the way he presented his argument made it appear as though he was generalising.
He subsequently apologised to the Chief of Defence Staff and the leadership of the various security agencies, asking that his apology be extended to personnel serving in dangerous areas.
“To the families of these heroes that might have also felt offended by this speech, knowing fully well that their brother, their sister, their son, their husband fought and died for this country, I am really, really sorry,” he said.
Despite the apology, VeryDarkMan maintained his allegations against what he described as “bad eggs” within the security agencies, including personnel he accused of corruption, sabotage and leaking information to terrorists.
He also urged security personnel who were genuinely protecting the country not to be discouraged by his comments.
“And please don’t be discouraged, please, please, don’t be discouraged. We’re there behind you now, and we’ll always support you,” he said.
VeryDarkMan’s remarks at the NBA conference had earlier attracted widespread condemnation, with Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana calling for experienced speakers to handle specialised discussions at such gatherings.
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