The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed that the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2, Lagos, Jimoh Moshood, has been invited for questioning by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) over allegations of abuse of office levelled against him by social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).
In a statement issued on August 4, 2026, Force Public Relations Officer CSP Ani Iniedu said the invitation followed allegations raised by Otse and forms part of the Force’s internal accountability process. The Force also disclosed that it had, on July 30, 2026, issued a letter inviting Otse himself to appear at its Abuja office to substantiate the claims he has made publicly against the senior officer.
The Force distinguished between the administrative review into the misconduct allegations and a separate criminal matter also referenced in Otse’s commentary, which it said has already been investigated and is now before a court following advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions. It said that matter, being subjudice, would be left to the judiciary and would not be tried in the media.
The statement affirmed the constitutional right to freedom of expression and public accountability, but cautioned that this “does not extend to defamation or the amplification of unsubstantiated allegations as a means of compelling disciplinary outcomes outside due process.” It added that any officer found culpable after investigation would face sanctions, while allegations found to be false and damaging could attract legal remedies from the Force.
The controversy stems from a series of public allegations Otse has made against AIG Moshood in recent weeks. He has described the officer as “extremely corrupt” and accused him of using his position to help associates frame perceived enemies in criminal cases. He also claimed, without providing public evidence, that AIG Moshood is being considered for appointment as the next Inspector-General of Police, a prospect he argued would be damaging to the justice system.
In a more specific allegation, Otse accused AIG Moshood of conspiring with a businessman identified as Aare Bashiru Fakorede to implicate another businessman, Ahmed Tajudeen Akanbi, in the murder of one Sheriff Salami. According to Otse, an initial suspect arrested on January 6, 2026, gave a confession that named other individuals but did not mention Akanbi, and a second suspect’s confession similarly did not implicate him. He alleged that both suspects were later tortured into giving fresh statements naming Akanbi, and that one suspect described in a statement how he was pressured into the false implication after witnessing another detainee die in custody.
“We are talking about the integrity of the justice system of Nigeria,” Otse said, calling on AIG Moshood to publicly respond to the specific allegations.
AIG Moshood has previously denied wrongdoing in an appearance on TVC, but Otse maintains that the officer has not directly addressed the specific claims against him. As of the time of the Force’s statement, neither AIG Moshood nor the police had issued a response to the murder-frame-up allegations, which remain unverified.
The Force said discipline within its ranks is governed by the Constitution, the Police Act 2020, Police Regulations and Force Orders, which it said apply uniformly regardless of rank, and urged Otse to honour the FCID invitation and allow due process — both the administrative review and the separate court process — to run its course.
