Falana Tackles NBA Over VeryDarkMan Invitation, Says Past Conferences Were Not ‘Circus Shows

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has criticised the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) over its decision to invite social media personality Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), as a panellist at its ongoing annual conference in Port Harcourt.

VDM appeared on a panel session on Tuesday titled “Known Gunmen or Unknown Gunmen,” where he spoke about his experiences documenting insecurity and visiting communities affected by killings and other attacks.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, Falana questioned the decision to feature VDM, arguing that the NBA should have invited individuals with established professional experience in national security.

Falana recalled that NBA conferences in the past featured people who had built expertise in their respective fields and could engage lawyers intellectually.

He said:

“In those days, the NBA brought individuals who had paid their dues and 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.”

The senior lawyer maintained that discussions on national security should involve individuals with verifiable experience and contributions to the country’s security architecture.

He argued that whether an expert comes from the public or private sector, such a person should have demonstrable knowledge and experience relevant to the subject being discussed.

Falana said inviting people without direct involvement in national security could undermine the quality of such discussions.

He drew a comparison with discussions on media and press freedom, noting that such panels would normally feature journalists, academics or other professionals with established experience in the field.

According to him, bringing someone without relevant professional expertise simply to entertain an audience raises concerns about the purpose and quality of the session.

During the NBA panel, VDM made allegations concerning the activities of some police officers at checkpoints along major highways.

He alleged that certain officers identify wealthy travellers and pass information about their identities and movements to kidnappers, who subsequently use such information to facilitate ransom kidnappings.