The controversy surrounding social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), and the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG Moshood Jimoh, has taken a new dimension, with official records and reports raising serious questions over the allegations made against the senior police officer.
VDM has repeatedly made grave allegations against AIG Jimoh in connection with the Ajiran murder investigation. But rather than allowing the matter to remain a trial by social media, the activist should produce the evidence behind his claims before the appropriate authorities.
The issue is particularly important because allegations of murder and other serious criminal conduct are not ordinary accusations. They can destroy reputations built over decades and therefore demand the highest level of responsibility from anyone making them.
Available reports indicate that the Ajiran investigation was not a personal undertaking by AIG Jimoh. Official records cited in reports showed that the investigation followed a formal petition and an instruction from the Inspector-General of Police to the then Commissioner of Police, Jimoh, to investigate the matter.
This is significant because it challenges the narrative that the investigation was simply a personal operation initiated by AIG Jimoh against an individual.
AIG Jimoh is a veteran police officer whose career spans several decades. He has served the Nigeria Police Force in different capacities, including as a police spokesman and Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, before his elevation to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police.
His years of service have earned him considerable experience in policing, investigation, public communication and crime prevention.
His tenure as Commissioner of Police in Lagos was particularly notable, coming at a time when the state faced complex security challenges. His administration placed emphasis on strengthening police operations and confronting criminal elements across the state.
Today, as the AIG in charge of Zone 2 Command, Jimoh continues to occupy one of the most strategic positions within the Nigeria Police Force.
For this reason, VDM’s allegations should not be dismissed as mere internet banter, but neither should they be accepted as established facts without evidence.
If the activist genuinely possesses proof of criminal wrongdoing by AIG Jimoh, he has every opportunity to present it before the appropriate investigative authorities and, where necessary, the courts.
That is where serious allegations belong.
Social media is not a courtroom, and popularity cannot substitute for evidence.
Interestingly, reports have emerged showing that various groups and members of the public have questioned VDM’s allegations and defended AIG Jimoh, while official documents have been cited to challenge aspects of the narrative surrounding the investigation.
The development should serve as a reminder that public figures wielding enormous social-media influence must exercise caution when making allegations capable of damaging the reputation of individuals.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with demanding accountability from the police. Nigerians deserve professional, transparent and accountable security institutions.
But accountability must be mutual.
A person demanding transparency from a police officer must equally be prepared to answer questions when his allegations are challenged.
VDM should therefore stop the social-media war and bring forward the evidence.
If his allegations are true, let the evidence establish the truth.
If they are not, then an apology to AIG Moshood Jimoh would be the appropriate and responsible step.
For an officer who has dedicated decades to policing and public service, his reputation should not be determined by viral videos, emotional broadcasts or social-media campaigns.
The facts should speak.
The evidence should speak.
And ultimately, the law should speak.
VDM made the allegations. Nigerians are now waiting for the evidence.