Lagos High Court Issues Restraining Order Over Defamatory Social Media Publications
A Lagos State High Court has ordered controversial social media figure Martin Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, to remove defamatory posts and videos concerning renowned lawyer and human rights activist Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, musician Folarin Falana, better known as Falz.
The ruling, delivered by Justice M.O. Dawodu in suit no: ID/8584/GCM/2024 on Monday, followed a lawsuit filed by the Falanas after VeryDarkMan posted controversial statements on his social media accounts on September 24, 2024, linking them to social media personality Bobrisky.
In his ruling, Justice Dawodu noted that the social media posts, which suggested a connection between Falana and Falz with Bobrisky’s legal and financial dealings, were defamatory and harmful to their public reputation. “The defendant (VeryDarkMan) knew these statements were false and untrue but proceeded to publish them to injure their reputation,” Dawodu stated in the Certified True Copy of the ruling.
The court further ordered VeryDarkMan to immediately remove all defamatory content from his online platforms and restrained him from making any further statements about the Falanas until legal proceedings are concluded. Justice Dawodu emphasized that the defamatory content continues to harm their reputation as long as it remains accessible online.
The court’s decision came after the Falanas filed an ex-parte application, seeking urgent relief from what they termed “mischievous” actions that could not be undone by monetary compensation.
Additionally, the court granted the Falanas permission to serve legal documents to VeryDarkMan through his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, Esq., of Deji Adeyanju & Partners, located in Abuja. VeryDarkMan has been given 21 days to comply with the court’s order.
The controversy began after a recorded conversation was released by VeryDarkMan in which Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, allegedly sought legal assistance and financial support from Falz. Bobrisky reportedly requested N3 million to bribe correctional officers for VIP treatment during his detention over Naira abuse charges.
In response, Falz and his father demanded an apology and retraction. In a statement, VeryDarkMan later expressed regret over Falana’s inclusion in the audio, stating, “I apologise. It’s so sad that his name was included in that audio. I refuse to believe that he is a party to something like that.”
Despite the ongoing legal battle, VeryDarkMan also called on Falz to join him in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.
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