Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has refuted claims linking him to the popular crossdresser Idris Okuneye, known as Bobrisky, and the alleged assistance he provided in securing a presidential pardon during Bobrisky’s time in Kirikiri prison.
Recently, social activist Very Dark Man released a purported audio recording of a conversation between Bobrisky and an unidentified man.
In the recording, Bobrisky claimed that singer Falz had reached out to him, stating that his father, Femi Falana, could help him obtain a presidential pardon for 10 million naira, in order to clear his criminal record.
In response, both Falana and his son, through their lawyers, demanded an immediate retraction and a public apology from Very Dark Man across all his platforms within 24 hours.
However, VDM contended that he did not defame the Falana family but instead sought to bring attention to the audio recording for relevant agencies to investigate Bobrisky’s alleged statements.
In an interview with Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, October 3, Falana denied ever having met or spoken to Bobrisky. He indicated that if a satisfactory retraction and apology are not received, they will initiate civil proceedings.
“Bobrisky never spoke to me; I have never met him, and I do not know him at all. He allegedly contacted my son Folarin (Falz) and sought assistance, asking for N3 million to secure a place in the prison’s VIP section on May 4 of this year. My son asked if he was calling with the authorization of the prison superintendent, to which Bobrisky replied no.
“I told him not to contact me again as I cannot assist him in bribing prison authorities, and he should be cautious given his existing charges. If he wished to reach out again, it should be through the superintendent or a letter endorsed by prison authorities, and that was the end of it. Now, someone is releasing tapes to slander and defame me, claiming I spoke to him.”
Falana stated that his family intends to pursue civil proceedings to restore both his and Falz’s reputations. “We are not filing a criminal complaint; instead, we will pursue civil action to restore our integrity and names. We want to prevent anyone from hastily defaming Nigerians on social media. We have requested a retraction and an apology, which is reasonable, and if we do not receive a satisfactory response, we will certainly initiate civil proceedings in court.”
