Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Nigerian Bar Association is facing a paradox of its own making. On one side, a human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria is using its platform to demand an end to the illegal arrest and detention of innocent citizens by the police. On the other side, that same lawyer is being called out for what critics say is a move to silence the very voices that expose those injustices. The man at the centre of this contradiction is Femi Falana. And the man who just called him out is Martins Vincent Otse, known to millions as VeryDarkMan.
Falana, a towering figure in Nigeria's human rights community, has been using the NBA's annual conference to push for sweeping reforms. He wants the NBA's 128 branches to accompany Chief Magistrates during monthly visits to police stations. He wants the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to designate judges for monthly visits to detention facilities run by the military, the EFCC, the ICPC, the NDLEA, and the DSS. He is urging lawyers to apply the Anti-Torture Act, reminding everyone that torture carries a 25-year prison sentence, and that torturers who kill their victims can be tried for murder. He has been relentless in his fight against police abuse.
His message is clear: the state must stop arresting and detaining Nigerians for civil wrongs and breaches of contract. The state must stop torturing suspects. The state must respect the fundamental rights of citizens. These are the words of a man who has built a career on holding power accountable. But then came his words about a man who has built a different kind of career—one built on documenting the very abuses Falana is trying to stop.
Just days earlier, Falana had criticised the NBA for inviting VeryDarkMan as a panellist at the conference. He said the NBA used to bring in people who had "paid their dues" and could "engage lawyers intellectually". He said a discussion on national security should involve people who have "contributed to the security architecture of the country". He called the decision to invite VDM a "circus show".
That comment landed hard on the activist. In a video response, VDM said he was "so disappointed" after seeing Falana's submission. He insisted his disappointment was not because Falana refused to support him, but because of the "pointless reason" the lawyer gave for why his invitation was wrong. Then he delivered the line that has since gone viral: "Their problem is that the son of a nobody was invited".
The irony is impossible to miss. The man who has spent decades fighting for the voiceless is now being accused of trying to gatekeep a platform from a voice that millions of ordinary Nigerians actually listen to. VDM made it clear: he was not there to teach law. He was there to share experience. He has witnessed insecurity in ways that "a lot of security experts have not seen". "This is not about book," he said. "It's about experience". He said he spoke on behalf of the poor masses, the people who don't have a voice. And he admitted he was surprised by Falana's criticism, saying he had not anticipated that the senior lawyer would object to his participation.
The clash highlights a deeper tension in the Nigerian legal and civic space. On one hand, there is a legitimate concern about who should speak at professional conferences. On the other hand, there is a growing frustration with the professional class's refusal to accept that lived experience is a form of expertise. The man who is fighting to end illegal detention is now being asked to explain why he tried to keep out the man who documents those detentions in real time.
Falana's call for judicial oversight of police stations is urgent. His demand for an end to torture is urgent. His campaign against illegal arrest is vital. But so is the need to listen to voices from the ground. VDM's response to Falana has sparked a debate that goes far beyond the NBA conference. It is a debate about class, about who gets to speak, and about whether the fight for justice is a fight for everyone, or just for the elites who have "paid their dues."
As one social media user put it: "Mad advice sometimes is far better than normal person". If Falana's advice is mad, it is mad because it is rooted in a legal framework that has failed to stop police abuse for decades. If VDM's advice is mad, it is mad because it is rooted in the blood and tears of ordinary Nigerians who have been beaten, arrested, and detained without trial. The real madness is that the two men cannot see that they are fighting the same war.
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