Court Orders VeryDarkMan to Remove Defamatory Videos Targeting Femi Falana
A Federal High Court in Lagos has issued an interim ruling requiring Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, to delete defamatory content regarding prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) from all social media platforms within 21 days.
The court’s order came after Falana filed a lawsuit numbered ID/8586GCM/2024 against VeryDarkMan, citing serious defamation. Justice M.O. Dawodu granted the order on Monday, pending Otse’s compliance with the court’s Pre-Action Protocol.
As part of the ruling, Justice Dawodu instructed VeryDarkMan, his agents, and associates to remove videos and comments posted on September 24, 2024. The judge emphasized the need for restraint against further dissemination of defamatory material.
The court also permitted Falana to serve legal documents via his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, given the circumstances surrounding the case.
The application cited Falana’s credentials as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a former leader of various human rights organizations, highlighting the serious implications of the defamatory claims.
VeryDarkMan, a social media personality with a presence on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, allegedly claimed that Bobrisky had bribed officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with N15 million to drop money laundering charges. He also accused Bobrisky of paying N10 million to Falana and his son, rapper Falz, for intervention in securing a presidential pardon.
Following these allegations, the EFCC has initiated an investigation into claims of bribery related to the dismissed charges against Bobrisky.
In a pre-action notice filed on September 30, 2024, Falana’s lawyer demanded a public apology from VeryDarkMan across all his social media channels, as well as a complete retraction of the statements made in the video. The notice stated that Falana had received numerous calls and messages expressing outrage over the allegations, urging him to clear his name.
The notice further argued that VeryDarkMan’s motivations were driven by economic gain from the sensational and false nature of his publication. It stated that, despite acknowledging the defamatory video, VeryDarkMan had failed to issue an unreserved apology or retract the content.
Falana’s legal team insisted that litigation should only be a last resort and expressed willingness to resolve the matter amicably. They requested the removal of all offensive videos and demanded N500 million in damages for defamation.
