Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has said the emergence of social critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), reflects the failure of Nigeria’s judicial system to deliver justice to the common man.
In a video shared on his YouTube page, Farotimi said many ordinary Nigerians now look to VDM and others like him to help them seek justice instead of relying on the judicial process.
Farotimi made the remarks while reacting to the controversy surrounding VeryDarkMan’s invitation to the Nigerian Bar Association’s 66th Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.
He argued that VDM and similar social critics would not have emerged if Nigeria had a functional police and judicial system.
According to him, more personalities like VDM could emerge if the judiciary and other institutions continue to fail to address the grievances of Nigerians.
“A society that has law and order, that is ruled by law, that has a functional police system, a functional court system, would not even tolerate the presence or existence of a VDM. VDM is the life indictment of a judicial system that is essentially peopled by crooks in the place of jurists. That’s what VDM is.
“It represents a type, a type that has been tolerated, mollified because of the failure of the system.”
Farotimi likened VeryDarkMan to a mirror reflecting the failures of Nigerian society, arguing that attacking the social critic would not address the problems responsible for his growing influence.
He said Nigerians should instead focus on fixing the institutions and systems that have created the conditions for personalities like VDM to thrive.
“The reality is that you are the one who has to do something to fix the image in the mirror. VDM is merely the image in your mirror. The society you have built requires VDM to find justice.
“It’s easier to find justice through the types and likes of VDM than through your courts. They say the judiciary is the last hope of the common man. Nah, lie.
“VDM has become the last hope of the common man in the society that you built. Shame on all of you. And not just the lawyers or the judges, but the entire society that has made this possible.
“The society you built requires VDM to do justice. Very soon there will be multiplicities of VDM in the society that you have built. And if you have not noticed, there are already copycat VDMs springing up.
“Because the society requires VDM to find justice. How much of a shameful society have we built? Or shall I say shameless society?
“If the courts are useless, the VDMs of this world will emerge. And if you think VDM is the end of it, that’s the best you’re going to get. The ones who will come after, some of them will come behind him and they will carry guns to enforce their laws,” he said.
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