Falana Faults NBA Over VeryDarkMan Invitation, Says Lawyers’ Conferences Are For Intellectual Engagement, Not Entertainment | Sahara Reporters
According to Falana, the NBA had historically invited individuals who had “paid their dues” in their respective fields and could intellectually engage lawyers on important national issues.
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has criticised the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for inviting social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), to its 2026 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
When asked about the divide among lawyers over whether VDM ought to have been invited, and what his thoughts were on that, Falana said professional conferences organised by the NBA should provide intellectual engagement by bringing together individuals with established expertise and practical experience in the subjects under discussion, rather than personalities invited 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 his controversial statement accusing Nigeria Police Force of aiding kidnapping in the country.
According to Falana, the NBA had historically invited individuals who had “paid their dues” in their respective fields and could intellectually engage lawyers on important national issues.
“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 conferences should not become entertainment platforms, particularly when discussing sensitive issues such as national security and media freedom.
“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. But when you bring people who have nothing to do with the security of the… pic.twitter.com/LxhAuSD0l6
— Channels Television (@channelstv) August 27, 2026
Falana added that if the NBA wanted to discuss the security situation in Nigeria, it should invite a person from the public or private sector who had demonstrable experience or had contributed to 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,” he said.
He similarly argued that discussions on media and press freedom should feature practitioners, academics or professionals with established experience in journalism and media practice.
“But when you bring people who have nothing to do with the security of the country, there are problems,” Falana said, describing the decision to invite someone without such professional background as problematic.
The comments come against the backdrop of controversy at the NBA conference, where VDM’s presence and statements generated significant public attention.
The controversy surrounding the conference was further heightened after VDM made allegations concerning the conduct of some police personnel in relation to kidnapping.
VDM alleged that police officers manning checkpoints identify wealthy individuals and allegedly pass information about them to kidnappers, claims that drew a strong response from the Nigeria Police Force.
In a statement issued on August 27, 2026, the Force rejected what it described as blanket accusations against its personnel and challenged VDM to provide evidence to substantiate the allegations.
The police said its officers operate under difficult, underfunded and dangerous conditions and warned against portraying the entire institution as complicit in criminal activities on the basis of unverified claims.
The Force said individual officers found to have compromised their duties would face disciplinary action and prosecution where appropriate, but maintained that an entire institution should not be condemned without evidence.
It specifically invited VDM to submit any evidence showing that police officers at checkpoints identify wealthy motorists or travellers and transmit their details to kidnappers to facilitate abductions.
The police said any such evidence would be treated as a matter of urgency and investigated.
The Force’s response has added another dimension to the debate over the appropriateness of VDM’s participation in a major professional gathering of lawyers and the nature of issues discussed at the conference.