Falana Slams NBA over VeryDarkMan’s Invitation as Panelist

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has heavily criticised the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for inviting social media activist Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), as a panelist.

Falana did not hold back in expressing his disappointment over the NBA’s selection of speakers for such a high-profile intellectual gathering.

He argued that discussing complex issues like national security requires seasoned professionals with relevant field experience, rather than internet personalities.

Recall that Otse featured in a panel session on Tuesday titled “Known Gunmen or Unknown Gunmen”, where he spoke about his experiences covering insecurity and visiting communities affected by killings and attacks.

His appearance at the 66th Annual General Conference of the NBA in Rivers State has generated mixed reactions among lawyers and other commentators, with some questioning the decision and others defending it.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, Falana said the session would have been better served by an individual with professional experience in the country’s security architecture.

“In those days, the NBA brought Individuals who had paid their dues, who had who were coming to engage lawyers intellectually. We wanted to learn from them, and so none of our conferences was a circus show in the past, you know,” Falana said.

He argued that discussions on national security should feature people with demonstrable experience in the field.

“So, if you are bringing in an expert to discuss the security of the country, either from the private or public sector, such an individual must have contributed to the security architecture of the country.

“But when you bring people who have nothing to do with the security of the country, there are problems.”

Falana compared the invitation to bringing an individual without relevant professional experience to address media practitioners on press freedom.

“It’s like talking about media freedom, press freedom. You are going to bring practitioners in that field, either in academics or in the newsroom. But to just go and bring somebody from nowhere to come and entertain you, there are problems with that. And I think that was the problem associated with that particular lecturer, I mean an individual,” he said.

The New Diplomat reports that Otse, during his speech at the panel session alleged that some police officers manning checkpoints along major highways identify wealthy travellers and relay information about their identities and movements to kidnappers, thereby facilitating abductions for ransom.

However, Nigeria Police Force has immediately dismissed the allegation, describing it as unsubstantiated and damaging to the institution.

The Force challenged Otse to provide evidence to support the claim, saying any credible information would be treated seriously and investigated.