The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has invited social media critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, to provide evidence supporting allegations he made against police officers during the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Port Harcourt.

VeryDarkMan made the claims on Tuesday while serving as a panelist at the 66th Annual General Conference of the NBA, where he alleged that some police officers manning checkpoints along major highways provide kidnappers and bandits with information about travellers.

According to the activist, such information allegedly includes the identities and movements of wealthy travellers, thereby facilitating their abduction for ransom.

Reacting to the allegation, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, dismissed the claim, describing it as a serious allegation requiring evidence.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the police said officers deployed to checkpoints and other strategic locations nationwide were assigned to prevent crime, detect criminal activities and protect citizens, rather than facilitate kidnappings.

“Indeed, these same police officers routinely confront the very criminal elements alleged to be receiving such information,” the statement said.

The Force subsequently invited VeryDarkMan to present the evidence upon which he based his claims.

“Accordingly, the Nigeria Police Force hereby invites Mr. Martins Vincent Otse to produce, without delay, the evidence upon which he based these serious allegations, including any evidence that police personnel at checkpoints identify wealthy individuals and subsequently transmit information about them to kidnappers for the purpose of facilitating their abduction,” Iniedu said.

The police assured that any evidence provided would be treated as a matter of urgency and subjected to thorough investigation.

The Force also urged members of the public with credible evidence of police misconduct to report such cases through appropriate channels to enable investigations and necessary action.

The invitation comes amid growing public concerns over kidnapping, highway insecurity and allegations of misconduct involving security personnel across the country.