By Felicia Udeji
Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, has given social media influencer VeryDarkMan a 24-hour ultimatum to retract alleged defamatory statements made against him. The ultimatum was issued through a letter from Falana & Falana Chambers, demanding an immediate retraction and apology for the claims made in a September 25, 2024 post on Instagram.
The post accused Falana of attempting to secure a presidential pardon for Bobrisky in exchange for N10,000,000. According to the letter, the defamatory remarks were made in a September 25, 2024 post on VeryDarkMan’s Instagram page, which suggested that Femi Falana and his son, Folarin Falana (FALZ), were involved in a controversial matter regarding popular Nigerian crossdresser, Bobrisky.
The letter described these claims as “vicious, wicked, and reckless,” asserting that they were intended to tarnish the lawyer’s esteemed reputation. It emphasized that Mr. Falana has never communicated with Bobrisky regarding any matter, let alone sought a presidential pardon for the crossdresser.
In response, VeryDarkMan denied allegations of defamation against Femi Falana, SAN, in a video post on his Instagram account. He expressed his deep respect for Falana, whom he described as his Uncle.
VeryDarkMan’s lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, also responded to the matter, clarifying that VDM simply questioned the validity of Bobrisky’s claims in the leaked audio and did not intend to defame Femi Falana.
Adeyanju emphasized that the primary focus should be investigating the allegations Bobrisky allegedly made against certain EFCC officers rather than pursuing a defamation case.
“Our client holds Mr Femi Falana, SAN, in high esteem and recognizes his commitment to protecting human rights and the rule of law in Nigeria. In light of the preceding, our client believes that the appropriate line of action in the circumstances is an interagency investigation into the allegations contained in the voice recording rather than pursuing a case of defamation,” Mr Adeyanju said.
In a Facebook post, Mr Adeyanju added that Falz should focus on Bobrisky, having acknowledged the call. “For Falz: he should go and meet Bob about everything he/she said. Falz even admitted to having a phone call with Bob. End of discussion.”