By Passman Akpos
A social media commentator, identified as Mezie, has sparked fresh debate over the ongoing kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State after criticizing popular activist and social media personality VeryDarkMan over plans to seek public donations for ransom payments.
According to Mezie, VeryDarkMan, whom he referred to as “Verydarkblackman,” had indicated that he would ask Nigerians to contribute funds to secure the release of the abducted victims if government authorities fail to act within four days.
Questioning the proposed fundraising effort, Mezie demanded transparency regarding funds previously donated to the activist’s NGO account by supporters across the country.
“How much are we talking about here and how much is currently remaining in the NGO account? Let him begin the ransom payment with the hundreds of millions of naira contributed into his account by Nigerians prior to this time,” he stated.
Mezie further accused the activist of allegedly using public donations to fund his lifestyle and that of his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, an allegation for which no evidence was provided in the statement.
The commentator contrasted VeryDarkMan’s approach with that of rights activist Harrison Gwamnishu, who reportedly stated that he would physically mobilize a rescue effort if invited by the affected Oyo community.
According to Mezie, Gwamnishu’s proposal represented a more practical response to the crisis. He called on VeryDarkMan to return to Nigeria and join concerned citizens in physically supporting efforts to locate the kidnapped children and teachers if government intervention proves inadequate.
“Instead of sitting in the comfort of your home looking for members of the public to defraud, VDM should immediately return to Nigeria. Let all of us physically storm the Oyo community in search of our children and their teachers, since the government has failed us,” he said.
He concluded by accusing the activist of “commercializing the predicaments of Nigerians to live large.”
The remarks have generated mixed reactions on social media, with some users supporting calls for greater accountability in public fundraising efforts, while others argue that citizen-led initiatives may become necessary when communities face prolonged security challenges.
Neither VeryDarkMan nor his representatives had publicly responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
