‘I’m Not Here to Teach Law’ — VeryDarkMan Explains NBA Conference Invitation

Social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has explained why he was invited to speak at the ongoing 2026 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

VeryDarkMan made the clarification on Tuesday while participating as a panellist at the conference, amid public debate over his presence at the gathering of legal professionals.

He said he was not invited to teach lawyers about legal practice but to share his experiences, particularly from his involvement in documenting insecurity and violent incidents across the country.

“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.

The influencer argued that the country’s worsening insecurity requires perspectives beyond the traditional legal framework, stressing that even judicial officers were increasingly vulnerable to attacks.

“This is not a topic of ‘may I, my lord’ because your lords are being kidnapped,” he said.

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He cited the reported abduction of a judge travelling from Sokoto State, who he said was kidnapped in Kebbi State on July 26 and held for about a week before being released.

VeryDarkMan also criticised the media for what he described as inadequate coverage of killings and other violent attacks blamed on armed groups across the country.

“When the killings happened, our media are now lazy, and they do not really cover these killings and the results of these unknown gunmen,” he said.

Reflecting on the June 13, 2025 attack on Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, which reportedly claimed more than 200 lives and destroyed property worth millions of naira, he said he had personally 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,” he said.

VeryDarkMan alleged that the Yelwata attack was carried out by Fulani attackers in retaliation for the killing of a Fulani boy.

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“In Yelwata, it was Fulani that attacked. It was a retaliation because a Fulani boy was killed and these guys came back to attack,” he said.

His comments come against the backdrop of testimony before the Federal High Court in Abuja in February 2026, where a prosecution witness said some disgruntled Fulani chiefs allegedly sponsored more than 200 armed men armed with AK-47 rifles to carry out the Yelwata attack.

The witness, Moses Paul, a team leader with the Intelligence Response Team of the Nigeria Police Force, gave the testimony during the trial of nine suspects charged in connection with the attack.