Controversial activist Martins Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has launched a blistering attack on Nigerian cult groups, accusing them of selective bravery and challenging them to face real terrorists instead of terrorising innocent citizens.
In a viral seven-minute video that has already crossed 2 million views, VDM singled out notorious cult strongholds like Eruku in Kwara State and parts of Benue State, areas long feared for deadly cult clashes asking: Where una power dey when Fulani herdsmen and bandits dey enter villages, dey kill, rape and kidnap?
All the Black Axe, Eiye, Vikings, Klansmen wey full Eruku, where una dey when terrorists attack Benue communities? Una get gun, cutlass, charm, everything but when real enemies come, una vanish!
He accused the cults of only showing strength in three areas: Harassing and extorting ordinary Nigerians Fighting rival groups over girlfriend or territory, Collecting millions from politicians to snatch ballot boxes and intimidate voters during elections but the day ISWAP, Boko Haram or bandits enter your area, all of una go enter bush. Una no fit stand one minute.
Verydarkman thundered in pidgin. “You people are the real cowards. If una get liver the way una dey claim, carry una weapon go Sambisa Forest go fight terrorists. Go protect your communities. Stop oppressing people wey no get power!
The activist threw an open challenge to every cult faction across the country: I dare all of una — Aye, Eiye, Buccaneers, Vikings, Maphites, Klans, make una redirect that energy go fight terrorism. If una truly strong, prove am against real enemies of Nigeria, not against students and market women.
Verydarkman’s message comes amid escalating insecurity in the North-Central and North-West, with Benue State recording over 200 deaths from herdsmen attacks in 2025 alone.
Many online have echoed his frustration, pointing out the irony that while cultists openly brandish weapons in broad daylight during campus clashes or street fights, they are conspicuously absent when armed terrorists invade villages.
Reactions have been explosive: Some youths hailed VDM as “speaking truth to power”Others accused him of inciting violence a few anonymous accounts claiming cult affiliation threatened him, while others surprisingly agreed, saying “na true talk, we dey misplace aggression”
Security experts note that cult groups have occasionally been co-opted into vigilante roles in the past, but most remain criminal enterprises focused on extortion and political thuggery.
Whether VDM’s challenge will be heeded or ignored, one thing is clear: the activist has once again touched a raw nerve in Nigeria’s complex web of street power, politics, and national insecurity.