The Nigeria Police Force has invited social media commentator Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, to produce evidence supporting his allegation that police officers manning checkpoints along major highways relay information about travellers to kidnappers and bandits.
VeryDarkMan had made the allegation at the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association Conference in Port Harcourt, claiming that officers at checkpoints identify travellers and pass information about their identities and movements to criminal gangs to facilitate abductions for ransom.
In a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, the Police rejected the allegation as unsubstantiated and unfairly damaging, saying an allegation of such gravity requires corresponding evidence.
The Force says personnel deployed to checkpoints and other locations across the country are there to prevent crime, detect criminal activity and protect citizens.
It says those officers also confront the same criminal groups they are accused of assisting, with police personnel killed in attacks and police stations, formations and operational assets targeted by terrorists, kidnappers and other violent criminals.
The Police says sweeping accusations against the entire Force are unfair to officers working under difficult, underfunded and often dangerous conditions, particularly those deployed to checkpoints.
It says this does not shield individual officers from accountability, and any personnel found to have compromised their duty will face internal disciplinary measures and the law.
The Force has therefore invited VeryDarkMan to produce, without delay, the evidence on which he based his allegations, including any evidence that police personnel at checkpoints identify wealthy individuals and subsequently transmit information about them to kidnappers to facilitate their abduction.
It says any information provided will be treated with urgency and investigated thoroughly.
The Police is also asking members of the public with credible evidence of misconduct by officers to come forward through appropriate channels so that allegations can be investigated and action taken where wrongdoing is established.
The Force says it remains committed to transparency and accountability and will continue to investigate credible allegations of misconduct, regardless of how they arise.
It also called on members of the public to exercise responsibility when making and sharing allegations concerning national security institutions, drawing a distinction between legitimate criticism, which it says strengthens accountability, and unsubstantiated claims, which it says can undermine public trust and national security.
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