By Abiola Olawale
The Federal High Court in Lagos State has issued an interim order to restrain a social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, from further publishing defamatory content about renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN).
The court’s decision comes in response to Mr Falana’s legal action against VeryDarkMan for posting what is considered defamatory videos and comments against Falana on September 24, 2024, across various social media platforms.
The court also specifically directed VeryDarkMan, his agents, and any associates to remove the defamatory content.
The presiding judge, Justice M.O. Dawodu granted the order in response to a lawsuit numbered ID/8586GCM/2024, filed by Falana against VeryDarkMan.
Justice Dawodu ruled: “AN ORDER of interim/pre-emptive remedy by this Honourable Court restraining the Defendant, his agents, privies, and/or anyone from further circulating or publishing any defamatory videos/comments about the Applicant, and to remove the defamatory videos/comments published on 24th September 2024, from all his online social media handles/pages, pending compliance with the Pre-Action Protocol of this Honourable Court.
“AN ORDER granting leave to the Applicant to serve the Pre-Action Bundles, Originating Processes and all other court processes between parties herein on the Defendant by substituted means through his lawyer Deji Adeyanju Esq. of Deji Adeyanju & Partners at Terrace Block D4, White Diamond Estate, Makuru Street, Off Embu Street, Off Aminu Kano, Wuse II, Abuja.
“SUCH FURTHER ORDER(S) as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of this ex-parte application.
”The Defendant, his agents, and privies are hereby restrained from further releasing, publishing, or circulating any defamatory videos/comments about the Applicant and to bring down the defamatory video/comments about the Applicant published on 24th September 2024 on all his online social media handles/pages pending compliance with the Pre-Action Protocol of this Honourable Court.”
It would be recalled that in September VeryDarkMan leaked a video recording that purportedly reveals how cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, which indicated that the later served his recent jail term outside the prison facility.
In the video, Bobrisky was purportedly heard saying he bribed officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with N15 million to drop money laundering charges against him.
In the same video, VeryDarkMan alleged that Bobrisky paid N10 million to Falz (Folarin Falana) and his father (Femi Falana) to intercede on his behalf for a presidential pardon.
However, Falana denied the allegations, and filed a suit on September 30, 2024, demanding that VeryDarkMan should publish an apology on all his social media handles/pages for the defamatory statements purportedly made in the video in question.
Following these allegations, the EFCC launched an investigation into claims that some of its officers accepted N15 million from Bobrisky to dismiss the money laundering charges against him.
The inquiry, which was directed by EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede, came in light of a viral audio recording in which Bobrisky, an ex-convict, made the allegations in question.
