Justice M.O. Dawodu of an Ikeja High Court has issued an interim order prohibiting social critic Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, from further sharing or publishing any defamatory content against renowned legal expert Femi Falana.
In a ruling on Monday, October 14, the judge instructed VeryDarkMan to delete all defamatory comments and videos related to Falana from his social media platforms.
The court also granted permission for Falana to serve court papers to VeryDarkMan through his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, and provided 14 days for Falana to file the pre-action bundle. The judge further ordered VeryDarkMan to remove any defamatory posts within 14 days of the ruling.
This legal action follows a controversy that began on September 24, when VeryDarkMan shared an alleged audio conversation involving Bobrisky and a male associate, in which Bobrisky claimed to have received help from Falana and his son, Falz, to secure a presidential pardon for N10 million.
VeryDarkMan expressed disgust at the Falanas for supposedly assisting Bobrisky, even questioning Falz’s character with a comment some interpreted as questioning his sexuality.
The Falanas have denied these accusations, with Falz issuing a statement on September 25, clarifying that Bobrisky had asked him for N3 million to secure a VIP section in prison, which he refused.
Falz argued that VeryDarkMan’s comments falsely portrayed him as a homosexual, a corrupt human rights activist, and someone willing to obstruct justice for financial gain.
Femi Falana also denied ever interacting with Bobrisky or charging money to secure a presidential pardon. Both Falz and his father demanded a retraction and apology from VeryDarkMan, which he refused, leading to the ongoing court battle.
