VDM’s Lawyer Faults Police Invitation, Demands Independent Panel
Marshal Abubakar, counsel to social media critic VeryDarkMan (Martins Vincent Otse), has formally responded to the invitation letter issued to his client by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre.
In a letter addressed to the Inspector General of Police, Abubakar raised serious concerns over the impartiality of the investigation and outlined four key demands:
- The immediate constitution of a truly independent investigative panel to probe the deaths of Prince Ademola Akinloye and Sheriff Salami Agboworin, as well as allegations that the police attempted to frame Ahmed Tajudeen Akanbi for the killings.
- That the composition of the panel must be balanced and inclusive, comprising representatives of the Nigeria Police Force, nominees of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), civil society organisations, the media, and VeryDarkMan’s legal team.
- That the command of AIG Jimoh Moshood should recuse itself from investigating VDM, as the AIG is himself one of the officers indicted in the alleged cover-up.
- That any investigative report or outcome reached without the involvement of VDM and his legal representatives will be outrightly rejected and challenged in court.
According to the lawyer, no one should investigate a case in which he is an interested party. Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to have been done.
