Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has criticised the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) over its decision to invite social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), to its 2026 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Falana said professional conferences organised by the NBA should be platforms for serious intellectual engagement and should feature people with established expertise, practical experience and demonstrable contributions in the areas being discussed, rather than personalities brought primarily for entertainment.
The senior lawyer made the remarks while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, where he discussed the controversy surrounding VDM’s appearance at the conference and the influencer’s subsequent controversial allegations against the Nigeria Police Force over the country’s kidnapping crisis.
Falana said the NBA had, in the past, invited individuals who had “paid their dues” in their respective professions and were capable of intellectually engaging lawyers on important national matters.
“In those days, the NBA brought individuals who had paid their dues… who were coming to engage lawyers intellectually. We wanted to learn from them,” Falana said.
He argued that the association’s annual conference should not be transformed into an entertainment platform, especially when sensitive national issues such as security, media freedom and the rule of law are being discussed.
According to him, where the subject of discussion is the security situation in Nigeria, the NBA should invite experts from either the public or private sector who have made meaningful contributions to, or possess established knowledge of, the country’s security architecture.
“If you are bringing an expert to discuss the security of the country, either from the public or private sector, such an individual must have contributed to the security architecture of the country,” Falana said.
He questioned the rationale for bringing individuals without a professional background or demonstrable experience in security to address lawyers on such a critical national issue.
“But when you bring people who have nothing to do with the security of the country, there are problems,” he added.
Falana similarly maintained that discussions on media and press freedom should feature journalists, media practitioners, academics and other professionals with established experience in journalism and media practice.
His criticism comes amid a growing debate among lawyers and members of the public over the NBA’s decision to feature VDM at one of Nigeria’s most prominent professional gatherings.
The controversy intensified following comments made by VDM concerning the Nigeria Police Force and alleged links between some police personnel and kidnapping operations.
VDM alleged that some police officers manning checkpoints identify wealthy motorists and travellers and allegedly pass information about them to kidnappers, who could subsequently target the individuals for abduction.
The allegations triggered a strong response from the Nigeria Police Force, which rejected what it described as sweeping and unsubstantiated accusations against its personnel.
In a statement issued on Thursday, August 27, 2026, the Force challenged VDM to provide evidence to support his claims.
The police maintained that its personnel operate under difficult, underfunded and dangerous conditions while confronting criminal elements across the country.
The Force warned against portraying the entire institution as being involved in criminal activities on the basis of allegations that had not been substantiated with evidence.
It, however, acknowledged that individual police officers who compromise their duties or collaborate with criminals could face disciplinary action and prosecution where appropriate.
The police specifically invited VDM to submit any evidence showing that officers stationed at checkpoints identify wealthy motorists or travellers and transmit their details to kidnappers to facilitate abductions.
According to the Force, any credible evidence presented would be treated as a matter of urgency and subjected to investigation.
The development has therefore created a broader debate about the role of social media personalities in professional conferences, the standards that should guide the NBA’s choice of speakers and the extent to which controversial public figures should be given platforms at major professional gatherings.
While VDM’s supporters may argue that his large public following gives him an influential platform for raising issues affecting ordinary Nigerians, Falana’s position is that professional conferences dealing with critical national matters require speakers with proven expertise and experience capable of providing substantive intellectual value.
The disagreement has also raised questions about whether professional bodies should prioritise public influence and entertainment value or maintain strict professional standards when selecting participants for discussions on issues as serious as national security, media freedom and the rule of law.