Human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi has argued that the growing influence of social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), is a reflection of Nigerians’ declining confidence in the country’s justice system.
Farotimi made the remarks while reacting to the controversy surrounding VDM’s invitation to the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
In a video shared on YouTube on Saturday, the lawyer said VDM’s emergence as a prominent voice for people seeking redress was evidence of deeper institutional problems within Nigeria’s police and judicial systems.
According to Farotimi, a society where law enforcement and the courts effectively serve citizens would have little need for social media personalities to become alternative channels through which people pursue justice.
He described VDM as a reflection of the failures within the system rather than the root cause of those failures.
Farotimi argued that criticism directed at VDM would not address the conditions that have contributed to his popularity.
He said Nigerians should instead examine why some citizens increasingly believe that taking their grievances to influential social media personalities may produce faster results than pursuing them through formal institutions.
Farotimi warns of more ‘VDMs’
Farotimi also warned that VDM may not be an isolated phenomenon.
He said more individuals could emerge with similar influence if the judiciary, police and other public institutions fail to respond effectively to citizens’ grievances.
According to him, the growing number of personalities taking up such roles should be viewed as a warning about the state of Nigeria’s institutions.
He cautioned that the situation could become more dangerous if people eventually begin relying on individuals to enforce what they consider justice outside established legal structures.
Farotimi therefore urged Nigerians to look beyond the personality of VDM and consider the institutional weaknesses that, in his view, have created an environment for such influence to thrive.
‘Judiciary should be the last hope’
The lawyer said the traditional description of the judiciary as the “last hope of the common man” had been undermined by public distrust in the justice system.
He maintained that where the rule of law is properly respected, citizens should be able to rely on courts and law enforcement agencies rather than personalities operating through social media.
Farotimi also argued that fixing the judiciary would require broader institutional and societal action rather than simply removing or attacking individual personalities.
He said corruption and other weaknesses within the justice system could not disappear because of the departure of one person, insisting that lasting change would require collective determination.
VDM’s NBA controversy
The comments come amid controversy over VDM’s participation at the NBA’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.
VDM had participated in a panel discussion on insecurity before subsequently criticising aspects of the legal profession.
The social media activist questioned the continued description of law as a noble profession and criticised what he regarded as shortcomings within the legal system.
His comments generated reactions from members of the legal community and others who questioned why a social media activist was invited to speak at a major gathering of Nigerian lawyers.
VDM, however, maintained that his presence at the conference was intended to give a voice to ordinary Nigerians and people who he believes are often ignored by formal institutions.
Farotimi’s intervention has now shifted attention from the controversy over VDM himself to the broader question of why Nigerians are increasingly turning to social media personalities to raise complaints, expose alleged wrongdoing and seek public pressure.