Checkpoints Are For Crime Prevention, Not Facilitation. — NPF
……Warns Against Unsubstantiated Claims That Demoralize Officers.
The Nigeria Police Force has rejected allegations made by social media commentator Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as “VeryDarkMan (VDM),” that police officers at highway checkpoints relay information to kidnappers and bandits.
In a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, anipr, and dated 27th August, 2026, the Force said the comments were made at the recent Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Conference in Port Harcourt.
According to the statement, VDM alleged that “police officers manning checkpoints along major highways relay information to kidnappers and bandits regarding the identity and movement of travellers, thereby facilitating abductions for ransom.”
“The Nigeria Police Force firmly rejects these allegations as unsubstantiated and unfairly damaging to an institution entrusted with the protection of millions of Nigerians,” the statement said. “Allegations of this gravity demand a corresponding standard of evidence, and that standard has not yet been met.”
The Force clarified the role of personnel at checkpoints:
“For the avoidance of doubt, police personnel deployed to checkpoints and other locations nationwide are there to prevent crime, detect criminal activity and protect citizens, not to facilitate kidnapping.”
It added that officers “routinely confront the very criminal elements alleged to be receiving such information” and noted that “Police personnel have been ambushed, attacked and killed, while police stations, formations and operational assets have equally been targeted by terrorists, kidnappers and other violent criminals.”
On the impact of such claims, the Police said:
“Sweeping public accusations that paint the entire Force as complicit in the crimes it exists to prevent are deeply demoralizing to these officers and unfair to the majority who serve with integrity.”
The statement added: “Where individual officers are found to have compromised their duty, they will face the full weight of internal discipline and the law. But an entire institution should not be condemned on the strength of a public statement made without evidence.”
The Force also issued a direct invitation to the commentator:
“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.”
It assured that “Any such information will be treated with urgency and investigated thoroughly.”
On accountability and resourcing, the statement said:
“The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to transparency and accountability. We will continue to investigate all credible allegations of misconduct, however they arise, and we will not hesitate to act where wrongdoing is established.”
It further stated: “However, the sacrifices of our personnel and the integrity of the institution will not be casually diminished by unverified allegations.”
The Police urged the public to channel credible complaints properly:
“We encourage any member of the public with credible evidence of officer misconduct to come forward through these channels rather than through public allegation alone, so that appropriate action can be taken.”
It concluded: “The Force calls on members of the public to exercise responsibility in making and sharing allegations concerning national security institutions and to distinguish between legitimate criticism, which strengthens accountability, and unsubstantiated claims, which can endanger public trust and national security.”
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