Popular online commentator, VeryDarkMan, has addressed the public following his sudden silence on social media, a move that left many fans worried.
Two days before his statement, his elder brother, Mark Otse, had shared a video appealing to Nigerians to remember VeryDarkMan in their prayers.
In the emotional clip posted on Instagram, Mark said, “Good morning everyone, I am not here to say much. All I want you to do is to pray for VeryDarkMan. He has not posted for two days now. You all have been asking questions like ‘where is VeryDarkMan?’ The truth is I don’t know how to say this right now. This is so difficult for real.”
His plea stirred concern about the activist’s wellbeing and triggered a wave of questions online.
Responding hours later, VeryDarkMan explained the reason for his absence. According to him, the ongoing conflict between farmers and herdsmen has taken a toll on his mental state.
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He wrote, “I really wish everyone can understand. I haven’t been able to post in the last few hours because my mind is still ‘fkd’, the killings involving the herdsmen and farmers is too much and believe me for the past 5 days, I haven’t been able to sleep, I’ve been asking questions and doing research to know what the problem really is and trust me it’s been stressing me out.
“He reflected on the long-standing nature of the violence, adding, Benue killings didn’t start today, Jos Plateau killings didn’t start today. It goes back to 10/15 years, same style, same format and same reaction (protest, security chiefs visiting victims and affected areas) everything is the same. The question is not when does it stop, the question is how does it stop? What has the government been getting wrong, a lot of gains and a lot of losses. My mind is messed up in thoughts that I can’t explain. Anyways let me not ruin your Sunday with my worries, happy Sunday my people.”
His message offered clarity but also left a lingering sense of urgency around the national crisis he highlighted.