Social media influencer, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has agreed to honour the Nigeria Police Force invitation over claims he made against Jimoh Moshood, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone A, Lagos.
However, he said he would only honour the invitation if the police met certain conditions.
In a statement issued on Thursday, August 6, by his lawyers, Deji Adeyanju & Partners, VDM said he was willing to honour the invitation but said the investigation should be conducted in a manner that eliminates the possibility of misinformation or misrepresentation.
He set three conditions, including a live broadcast of the interview, permission for his lawyers to accompany him, and the presence of representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association during the process.
“Having regard to the considerable public interest generated by this matter, the status of the public official involved, and the need to preserve public confidence in the investigative process, our client respectfully requests that the investigation be conducted in a manner that is transparent, fair and capable of inspiring public confidence,” the statement read.
The ICIR reports that the request followed the police’s statement confirming that VDM had been invited by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja, over allegations he made against the police chief.
The legal team said VDM had never opposed any lawful investigation and was willing and available to cooperate with the police.
According to the lawyers, the conditions demanded are not intended to interfere with the statutory powers of the police but are aimed at ensuring the investigation commands public confidence because of the significance of the allegations and the office of the public official involved.
The police invitation follows VDM’s public allegations against Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Moshood Jimoh, concerning the handling of the high-profile murder investigation involving businessman Ahmed Tajudeen Akanbi. Police authorities had announced that the allegations would be investigated, while Jimoh has denied wrongdoing through official channels.
The ICIR reported that the Nigeria Police Force announced that it had launched administrative probe into Jimoh over allegations by VeryDarkMan. The police also said the case was already before a court.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.