Human rights lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi has described social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), as the new “last hope of the common man” in Nigeria, arguing that the growing influence of VDM reflects weaknesses in the country’s justice system.
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Farotimi said Nigerians increasingly turn to VDM and other public figures on social media to seek attention and intervention when they feel that the police, courts and other formal institutions have failed to address their grievances effectively.
He argued that in a society with a functional police system and an efficient judiciary, there would be little need for individuals like VDM to take up cases that citizens believe should ordinarily be handled through established institutions.
Farotimi’s comments came amid debate over the decision by the Nigerian Bar Association to invite VDM to its 2026 Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt.
According to Farotimi, the controversy should not focus solely on VDM but should also raise questions about why an activist operating outside the formal justice system has gained such significant public influence.
He maintained that VDM’s popularity is a reflection of growing public frustration with the justice system and called for deeper attention to the institutional problems that have made social-media intervention appear more accessible to ordinary Nigerians.