Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has said the growing influence of social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), is a reflection of the failure of Nigeria’s judicial system.
Farotimi made the remarks in a video shared on YouTube on Saturday while reacting to the controversy surrounding VDM’s invitation to the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.
According to the activist, the emergence and growing acceptance of personalities like VDM would be unlikely in a society with a functional police force and judicial system.
He argued that VDM has become a symbol of Nigerians’ growing frustration with institutions that are expected to provide justice and protect citizens.
“A society that has law and order, that is ruled by law, that has a functional police system, a functional court system, would not even tolerate the presence or existence of a VDM,” Farotimi said.
He described VDM as a “life indictment” of a judicial system that has failed to adequately serve the people.
Farotimi further likened the social media activist to a mirror reflecting the shortcomings of Nigerian society, insisting that attacking VDM would not address the underlying problems that have contributed to his popularity.
He said Nigerians increasingly turn to personalities like VDM because they believe it is easier to seek justice through them than through the formal court system.
“They say the judiciary is the last hope of the common man. Nah, lie. VDM has become the last hope of the common man in the society that you built,” he stated.
The lawyer blamed not only judges and lawyers but the wider society for creating conditions in which individuals like VDM can gain significant influence.
He warned that the country could witness the emergence of several more VDM-like personalities if the judiciary and other institutions fail to respond effectively to Nigerians’ grievances.
According to Farotimi, the growing number of individuals adopting VDM’s approach should serve as a warning that citizens are searching for alternative ways to seek accountability and justice.
“Very soon there will be multiplicities of VDM in the society that you have built,” he warned.
Farotimi also cautioned that the consequences could become more dangerous if institutional failures persist, suggesting that future figures could resort to violence to enforce their own version of justice.
“If the courts are useless, the VDMs of this world will emerge,” he said, adding that some of those who follow could potentially resort to carrying guns to enforce their laws.
He therefore urged Nigerians to look beyond the controversies surrounding VeryDarkMan and focus on fixing the institutional weaknesses that have allowed such figures to gain widespread influence.
According to Farotimi, addressing the problems within Nigeria’s justice system remains critical to preventing further erosion of public confidence in the country’s institutions.
