A Lagos High Court on Tuesday issued a ruling against social media influencer and critic, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, directing him to delete defamatory videos he posted about renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN). The court also ordered Otse to refrain from making any further defamatory comments about Falana or his family.
The legal tussle between the two began after VeryDarkMan released a video on September 24, 2024, in which he accused Falana of facilitating a pardon for Nigerian cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky. VeryDarkMan claimed, through a leaked voice recording of Bobrisky, that singer Falz allegedly contacted Bobrisky during his six-month jail term to seek Falana’s intervention in securing a pardon.
Falana, who has a well-established reputation in human rights advocacy and law, swiftly reacted by denying the allegations and threatened to file a criminal complaint against VeryDarkMan. On September 26, 2024, the Falanas sent a formal demand to VeryDarkMan, asking him to retract his statements and issue an apology within 24 hours. However, no such apology was made, leading to the court filing.
During the court proceedings, the judge ruled that the defamatory content should be immediately removed from all platforms, and VeryDarkMan must desist from further public commentary involving the Falana family.
This case highlights the ongoing tension between public figures and social media critics, especially in cases involving reputation, defamation, and the impact of viral content. While freedom of expression is a right, it also comes with the responsibility not to spread false or defamatory information, especially against prominent individuals. The ruling underscores the importance of verifying claims before posting them online.
