Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has criticized popular blogger, VeryDarkMan (Martins Otse), over accusations made against him, describing the claims as “infantile radicalism.” The allegations stem from a voice note shared by the blogger, in which controversial crossdresser, Idris Okuneye (aka Bobrisky), alleged that Falana sought a ₦10 million bribe in exchange for securing a presidential pardon for him.
In the voice note, Bobrisky also claimed to have paid ₦15 million to officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to have money laundering charges against him dropped.
However, Falana, speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, labeled the allegations false and demanded a retraction and an apology from VeryDarkMan.
“Infantile radicalism. Some of our young people are not prepared to look at the provisions of the law with respect to defamation. They simply go out there to embarrass people,” Falana remarked during the interview.
Falana made it clear that while he wouldn’t pursue a criminal complaint, he intended to take civil action to defend his name and that of his son, rapper Folarin Falana (Falz). He emphasized that such defamatory actions should not be tolerated in the age of social media.
“We have asked for a retraction and an apology rendered to us and that is not too much,” Falana asserted. “If we don’t have a retraction and apology acceptable to us, we are certainly going to initiate civil proceedings in the High Court.”
‘I Have Never Met Him’
Falana also refuted claims that he had any interaction with Bobrisky, stating that he had never spoken to or met the crossdresser. He explained that the allegations arose after Bobrisky reportedly reached out to his son, Falz, for help while in prison.
“My son said this guy was appealing to people for assistance and called him on May 4, 2024. He asked my son for N3 million to be placed in the VIP section of the prison. My son refused to assist in bribing the prison authorities,” Falana narrated.
Falana further explained that after the refusal, there was no further contact. Yet, a recording surfaced, attempting to implicate him in a fabricated scheme involving Bobrisky.
The lawyer reaffirmed his determination to defend his integrity and prevent others from rushing to social media with baseless claims to defame others.
