Military Men, Immigration, Others Are The ‘Unknown Gunmen’ – VeryDarkMan

Social commentator and activist VeryDarkMan (VDM) has alleged that some security personnel may be contributing to Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis by providing criminal groups with information about motorists who appear capable of paying ransom.

VDM made the allegation while speaking at the ongoing 2026 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA-AGC) during a session focused on Nigeria’s insecurity and the identity of perpetrators commonly described as “unknown gunmen.”

Defending his invitation to the conference, VDM said he was not at the event to lecture lawyers on legal principles but to share experiences from his visits to communities affected by insecurity.

He said he had visited several locations affected by violent attacks, including Yelwata in Benue State, Jos, Bokkos and parts of Borno State, where he claimed to have witnessed the aftermath of killings, bomb attacks and other violent incidents.

VDM criticised conventional media organisations for what he described as inadequate coverage of insecurity, saying independent content creators had increasingly taken on the responsibility of documenting the experiences of affected communities.

VDM links Yelwata killings to farmer-herder conflict

Speaking about the Yelwata killings in Benue State, VDM alleged that the attack was carried out by Fulani herders in retaliation for the killing of a Fulani man and his cow.

He said his investigation into recurring violence in Benue and parts of Plateau State pointed to tensions between farmers and herders over access to farmland and grazing areas.

According to him, farmers depend on their crops for their livelihoods, while cattle are central to the economic and cultural life of Fulani communities.

He argued that when cattle destroy farmers’ crops, tensions escalate, with farmers sometimes killing the animals and herders retaliating.

“Your own source of income is eating my source of income. There will be a problem,” VDM said.

He maintained that the recurring clashes should therefore be examined from both security and economic perspectives.

VDM alleges cattle are used to conceal illicit wealth

VDM also made a controversial claim that large cattle herds could be used as a vehicle for laundering money.

Using an example of a large herd, he said a cow worth about N2 million would make 500 cattle worth approximately N1 billion.

He alleged that some government officials could invest allegedly stolen funds in cattle, allowing large sums of money to be held in livestock rather than conventional financial assets.

“The money that has been stolen, they put it in the cows,” he alleged.

VDM argued that this was one reason, in his view, why authorities had failed to adequately regulate open cattle movement or insist on ranching.

He suggested that some powerful interests could have financial stakes in large-scale cattle investments.

The claims were made without documentary evidence during the session.

VDM challenges Wike to explain cattle investments

Asked by the moderator to identify the government officials allegedly funding cattle investments, VDM pointed to what he described as the conduct of some governors.

He specifically referenced former Rivers State Governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, while stressing that he was not accusing Wike of personally funding the alleged investments.

VDM said Wike had previously declined to discuss certain questions concerning cattle investments and suggested that he should be invited to explain what he knows about the issue.

“I’m not saying Wike puts money, but listen,” VDM said.

The moderator subsequently moved the discussion back to the broader issue of insecurity.

‘There are no unknown gunmen’

VDM then made one of the strongest claims of his presentation, rejecting the description of armed attackers as “unknown gunmen.”

“Now, there are no unknown gunmen anywhere,” he declared.

He alleged that personnel from security and border agencies—including the military, immigration and customs—could be connected to, or have knowledge of, criminal activities occurring across the country.

VDM questioned how kidnappers could continue operating on major highways despite the numerous police checkpoints established along major routes.

‘Police can identify potential kidnapping victims’

Using the Lagos-Abuja route as an example, VDM alleged that security checkpoints could inadvertently—or deliberately—provide kidnappers with useful information about motorists.

He said motorists are routinely stopped, asked to wind down their windows and open their boots, giving security personnel an opportunity to observe their vehicles and assess their apparent financial status.

VDM alleged that corrupt officers could then pass information about potential victims to criminal groups.

He illustrated the claim with a hypothetical example of officers informing kidnappers that a particular vehicle, such as a red Corolla, contained someone who appeared capable of paying ransom.

“When they look at you… when you pass, they make those calls and say, ‘the red Corolla, somebody is there that can pay,’” he alleged.

VDM argued that the persistence of kidnappings along heavily policed routes should prompt authorities to investigate whether information is leaking from security checkpoints.

His comments add to a broader debate over the causes of Nigeria’s insecurity, including the farmer-herder crisis, illegal economic activities, corruption within security structures and the alleged involvement of powerful individuals.

However, VDM’s allegations against security agencies, government officials and other actors were not accompanied by documentary evidence during the NBA-AGC session and should be independently investigated before being treated as established facts.