Social media influencer and activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan has accused top politicians of using the money they looted to buy cows for herdsmen who move about freely, rather than adopt ranching to cater for their cows.
Otse,made the comment at the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference, AGC, in Port Harcourt on Tuesday during a session titled “Known Gun Men,” which focused on legal and institutional gaps causing insecurity in Nigeria..
He cautioned that despite not being a professional to lecture lawyers on legal matters, he noted that his wealth of experience covering insecurity issues in the country could speak for him.
He said that the herdsmen allow their cattle to move around freely and cause destruction on farmers crops because they are owned by some government officials who use it to siphon public funds.
Otse said that government officials have used their investment in cattle to divert stolen public funds and have succeeded in it because many Nigerians are unaware of their strategy.
He said, “If you go around our country, you will see cows moving around in the street and will be wondering why so many cows are moving like that.
“You know why? That is money laundering. It is the government. A fat cow today is sold at about N2 million and if you see one Aboki man going around with about 500 cows, that is one billion naira.
“The money that is being stolen from the government by government officials are put in the cow business. One thousand cows give them two billion naira.
“The government won’t tell the Fulani to stay in one place as ranching because that is their investment.”
He also called for improved welfare package for security personnel serving in the various agencies as motivation for better performance in the discharge of their duties.
Otse said that the rising insecurity in the country due to the activities of armed groups who engage in banditry, kidnapping and communal violence has put enormous pressure on the country’s security agencies.
The activist noted that the number of security personnel in the police and the army cannot protect over 200 million Nigerians, stressing the need for softer laws for the citizens to get guns to protect themselves.
Otse said: “They need to make provisions for citizens to protect themselves. Make it easy for us to get guns because right now they are understaffed. They can’t protect everybody.
“How many are there? The police and the military are not up to a million protecting over 200 million people.”
He, however, accused some security personnel at checkpoints around Abuja of aiding kidnapping by providing information to kidnap gangs that operate not too far from their checkpoints.
“Until we take care of them properly, they will keep on turning on us,” he said.
Otse also said that the Fulani communities in Nigeria, with their strong communication network and security architecture can be used in fighting insecurity, noting that information could quickly move across borders through the network.
He also alleged that firearms were being moved through bushes across different states, with the involvement of corrupt officials.
“The guns we are talking about are only with one ethnic group that knows the bushes more than everybody – Fulanis,” he said.
He also distinguished between Fulani people living in Benue State and those who come from outside the state to attack communities, adding that:”The Fulani in Benue don’t attack the people in Benue. The Fulani that come to attack are Fulani from outside.”
He also spoke on the June 13, 2025, attack on Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, which he said left more than 200 people dead and properties worth millions of naira destroyed, VeryDarkMan claimed,
“I was the first respondent at Yelwata. I was also the first respondent when some women were killed some time ago. I’ve seen blood and seen people burnt alive.
“In Yelwata, it was Fulani that attacked. It was a retaliation because a Fulani boy was killed and these guys came back to attack.”
Otse also received a special award for his public advocacy, accountability campaigns, and contributions toward upholding justice and the rule of law.
