VDM Fires Back at Falana Over NBA Conference Backlash

​PORT HARCOURT — Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has launched a blistering counter-attack against human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), accusing elite legal practitioners of blatant classism following criticisms over his recent invitation to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference.

​The brewing controversy erupted after Falana appeared on a morning television program to publicly fault the NBA’s decision to feature VDM as a panelist for a session titled “Known Gunmen or Unknown Gunmen” at the association’s gathering in Rivers State. Falana argued that professional legal conferences should serve as spaces for rigorous intellectual engagement led by individuals with proven domain expertise in national security and institutional frameworks, rather than transforming into unstructured spectacles.

​Reacting through a fiery video broadcast, VDM expressed deep disappointment at Falana’s critique, claiming that the opposition from senior members of the legal establishment stems from deeply rooted elitism and resentment toward ordinary citizens breaking into traditional spaces.

​”Their problem is that the son of a nobody was invited. That is simply what has been going on in the media, and Femi Falana just made it clear to me,” VDM stated, dismissing arguments that the session required conventional security experts.

​Directly challenging the credentials of traditional security analysts, the activist questioned the efficacy of orthodox security strategies, pointing to policies that involve the rehabilitation and reintegration of captured insurgents. Drawing on his own grassroots exposure, VDM maintained that practical, on-the-ground experience trumps theoretical frameworks. “In the last few years, I have been present where all these things have happened. I have seen things these security experts have not seen. It’s not about book; it is about experience,” he asserted.

ADVERTISEMENT

​The social media personality also turned his fire on the broader legal profession, questioning the moral authority of lawyers who defend the nobility of a justice system that ordinary citizens increasingly view with skepticism. Citing rampant corruption, compromised judgments, and public distrust, VDM argued that everyday Nigerians frequently bypass traditional institutions in search of alternative justice.

​”When people want justice, who do they call? They call VDM! Are you not ashamed to be a lawyer in this country where people no longer believe in the justice system? A noble profession where rich men are buying judgments every day?” he queried, challenging critics to match his track record of retrieving assets and standing up for vulnerable citizens.

​The exchange underscores a widening ideological rift within public discourse in Nigeria, exposing tensions between institutional pedigree and populist activism as civil society groups grapple with the country’s multi-layered security crisis.