The Lagos State High Court has directed Martin Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, to take down defamatory posts and videos he made about renowned lawyer and human rights activist Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, popular musician Folarin Falana, known as Falz. Justice M. O. Dawodu issued the order on Monday in the case with suit number ID/8584/GCM/2024.
The court found that the comments and videos posted by VeryDarkMan on September 24, 2024, were defamatory and harmful to the reputation of Falana and Falz. The content of these posts linked Falana and Falz to Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky, a social media personality facing legal troubles. The court noted that VeryDarkMan’s posts were made with the knowledge that the statements were false, yet he published them to damage the applicants’ reputations.
In the ruling, Justice Dawodu stated, “The defendant (VeryDarkMan) knew these statements were false but proceeded to publish them to harm the reputation of the applicants. The defamatory posts remain online, and the damage to their reputation continues as long as the posts are accessible.”
The judge also issued an order preventing VeryDarkMan from publishing any further defamatory content about Falana and Falz. The court mandated that VeryDarkMan, along with his agents and associates, must remove the defamatory content from all his social media platforms immediately. Additionally, the court granted permission for Falana and Falz to serve legal documents to VeryDarkMan through his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, in Abuja.
Justice Dawodu further instructed, “The defendant, his agents, and privies are hereby restrained from further releasing, publishing, or circulating any defamatory videos or comments about the applicants and must remove the defamatory video or comments about the applicants published on September 24, 2024.”
The ruling allows the applicants a period of 14 days to serve the necessary legal documents, with the court’s order remaining in effect for 21 days from the date of issuance.
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The controversy arose after Falz demanded a retraction of the statements made by VeryDarkMan in an audio recording involving Bobrisky. In the recording, Bobrisky allegedly discussed seeking legal advice and financial assistance from Falz, including a request for N3 million to secure VIP treatment during his detention. VeryDarkMan’s posts suggested that Falana and his son were part of a scheme to obtain a presidential pardon for Bobrisky.
Falana’s legal team, represented by Taiwo E. Olawanle, Esq., sent a letter on September 26, 2024, demanding that VeryDarkMan retract his statements. This letter, which was shared on Falz’s Instagram page, described the claims as false and damaging.
In response to the allegations, VeryDarkMan appeared before the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Financial Crimes and Reformatory Institutions, where he clarified his position. He expressed disbelief that Falana was involved in any bribery, stating, “Apparently, now, some people are taking advantage of what is going on to target Femi Falana. Here, I apologize. It’s so sad that his name was included in that audio. I couldn’t believe it as well; that is the part that irritated me more when I said I refuse to believe that he is a party to something like that.”
VeryDarkMan also extended an invitation to Falz, urging him to collaborate in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.