Popular social media critic and human rights activist Martins Ortse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has denied allegations that he threatened the FCT minister, Nyesom Wile, following the revocation of ownership of a landed property owned by the family of the late colonel Paul Osakpamwan Ogbebor.
The deceased was a civil war veteran and is touted as the first Nigerian to be enrolled in the cadets of course 1 of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
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On Wednesday, the Vanguard reported a public outcry by the family of the late war veteran over an alleged plot to demolish a N3.5 billion estate in Abuja developed initially by Mr Ogbebor.
The management of the 42-year-old estate in Abuja also alleged the Federal Capital Development Authority’s (FCDA) plan to demolish the property, despite its longstanding presence.
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At a press briefing in Abuja, Vincent Enoghase, the estate’s general manager, revealed that the FCDA had issued a demolition notice, citing claims that the buildings were dilapidated and uninhabitable.
However, Mr Enoghase disputed these claims, stating that the family had been in the process of securing the Certificate of Occupancy and Right of Occupancy from the FCT administration.
He claimed that the family had already deposited ₦10 million of the required ₦42 million to complete the process.
However, the Senior Special Adviser to the FCT Minister on Public Communication and Social Media, Olarere Olayinka, in a statement published by The Punch, denied the allegations against his principal and asked those alleging land grabbing by the FCT Administration to show evidence of land ownership.
Mr Olayinka’s response was in response to VDM’s allegations that the FCT Minister had revoked the land titles to the Estate and issued the same to Saravera Nigeria Limited and the Minority Leader and member of the House of Representatives representing Obio/Akpor Constituency, Kingsley Chinda.
I’m innocent
The controversy began after a video claiming that Mr Wike revoked the Ogbebors’ family property, which was allocated in 1984, went viral.
Additionally, a WhatsApp broadcast where VDM was accused of threatening the minister’s life surfaced online.
Responding to the claims against him, VDM took to his Instagram to refute them and clarify his stance. He affirmed that he uses his platform to advocate for justice for the oppressed.
“I did not threaten Nyesom Wike’s life. I am not associated with the WhatsApp broadcast making rounds,” he said. Furthermore, he stated that he only appealed to the minister: “I was appealing to the minister to reconsider the land documents presented by the family of late Colonel Paul Osakpamwan, a war veteran and the first cadet of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) with code 001. All the land documents allocated are genuine.”
The human rights activist clarified that a video he posted regarding the revoked land was edited and misrepresented:
“Someone edited my video with a new caption, making it look like I’m threatening him. Please, I am not associated with threatening anybody’s life; it’s not in my character or nature.”
He further reaffirmed his commitment to using his platform to support those who are unjustly treated, stressing that he does this nonviolently: “The only thing I did in that video was plead with the minister to review the documents because the family are the rightful owners of that land”.
He also followed with another post with the caption, “Currently live at life camp by minister’s gate roundabout where Nyesom wike has authorised bulldozers to carry out injustice.”
More allegations
Furthermore, he implored high-ranking officers of the Nigerian military to rise to the occasion and defend the veteran in his absence: “ I am calling on the attention of all military senior officers, majors, generals and co, it will be a disgrace and a shame to the entire Nigeria armed forces if they let Nyesom Wike do this to someone as great as Colonel Paul Ogbebor, the first Nigerian CADET OF THE NDA CODE 001, a man that carried three bullet wounds from the civil war while sacrificing for Nigeria”
“I want all army, navy, and air force senior officers to understand that tomorrow might be their turn. This land Nyesom Wike has been trying to grab has been a legal allocation document since 1984, and from nowhere, Nyesom Wike has revoked it.”
READ ALSO: Police investigate VeryDarkMan for wearing police uniform
He also alleged that the minister had revoked the property on the premise of self-interest and has a member of the political elite as a co-conspirator “…and allocated the land to the company that is allegedly managing his hotels in Portharcourt; he also gave shares to Kingsley Chinda the leader of the minority in the House of reps. This is injustice, and we will stand against it”, he concluded
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