Activist and social commentator VeryDarkMan, whose real name is Vincent Martins Otse, has recounted a private encounter with the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, describing it as one of the most humbling experiences of his advocacy career. The narration followed reports of General Musa’s nomination by President Bola Tinubu for the position of Minister of Defence—a development the activist called “highly commendable.”
According to him, the encounter took place on June 19, 2025, after he was informed earlier that morning that the Nigerian Army wanted to see him.
“I panicked,” he admitted. “I couldn’t remember anything I had done wrong. Then it struck me—I had blasted Christopher Musa before.”
Despite his initial fear, he agreed to meet the officers who had come for him. “I told myself, if they wanted to harm me, they would have done it already. They already knew my location, and they know how to track me. So I followed them.”
He was driven to a military facility in Asokoro, Abuja, without being told who specifically wanted to see him. On arrival, he was escorted into the base and taken directly into a building where, to his surprise, he met General Musa in person.
“Guess who I saw? Christopher Musa. The same person I had criticised online,” he recalled.
General Musa immediately ordered everyone else out of the room, leaving the two of them alone for what became a candid and unexpected conversation.
“He looked at me and said, ‘VeryDarkMan.’ I replied, ‘Yes, sir.’ Then he asked if I knew why he brought me there. When I said no, he said, ‘I need your help.’”
The activist said he was stunned by the request coming from the nation’s top military officer at the time.
General Musa asked him to share details from his recent visit to Yelwata, a crisis-stricken community the activist had documented while many others avoided the area due to security fears.
“He told me I was the first person with a camera who went there when people were scared to go. He asked me to tell him everything I noticed—my observations, my thoughts, and any information I gathered.”
After the briefing, the CDS thanked him and encouraged him to share any further information that could help security efforts.
The two then took a photograph together, which he said was captured on June 20, 2025.
VeryDarkMan explained that he chose to speak publicly about the encounter after learning of General Musa’s removal as CDS.
“When I heard he had been removed, I just shook my head,” he said. “That man was genuinely looking for solutions. For him to call me to his house, look me in the eyes, and say, ‘I need your help’—that’s someone who isn’t ashamed to seek information from anywhere. No pride whatsoever.”
He praised the former CDS for his openness and humility, describing the encounter as evidence of a security leader willing to listen to ordinary citizens in pursuit of national solutions.
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