By Uche Amunike
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has given social media influencer, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, 24 hours to tender a public apology to him for defaming his character, as well as a retraction of the statements he made linking him to cross dresser, Idris Okuneye also known as Bobrisky, stating that he had never spoken to Bobrisky concerning his alleged pardon or on any matter before.
This was after the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo ordered a total investigation into allegations of bribery within the Nigerian Correctional Service, Wednesday.
The minister did not state any specific case, but he gave his directives after VeryDarkMan shared a voice note in which Bobrisky claimed that his godfather, in collaboration with the Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, arranged for him to serve his six-month sentence in a private apartment, after he was convicted and sentenced for abuse of the Naira in April.
In the viral voice note, a voice believed to be Bobrisky’s said: ‘There’s jealousy involved. When I got to court, I admitted guilt, hoping for either a fine or community service. However, the court sentenced me. On my way to prison, my godfather called and assured me I wouldn’t enter prison. He told me not to worry and said he would arrange an apartment near the prison and speak to the Comptroller General of Prisons in Abuja.’
‘After they spoke, I was taken to an apartment where I was told not to come out until I finished my sentence. They informed the person at the apartment that their boss instructed them to keep me there and not let me leave. The person said he’d collect N10m, so I had to call Elele again. Elele gave me N2m because there was no one else to call.’
The voice further claimed that a N15m bribe was paid to men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to drop money laundering charges against him, and leave only the abuse of Naira charges which he was convicted and sentenced for.
In the voice note, he allegedly claimed that Femi Falana and his musician son, Falz, proposed to help him seek the federal government’s pardon for a N10m fee.
This was what made the Minister of Interior order a probe immediately, maintaining that no form of indiscipline would be tolerated under his watch. He appointed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Magdalene Ajani to head the team investigating the allegations and submit a detailed report.
On his part, Femi Falana has written a pre-action letter to VeryDarkMan, demanding retraction of the alleged defamatory statements against him.
The letter read: ‘We are counsel for Mr Femi Falana SAN (hereinafter referred to as “our client”), on whose behalf we write this letter regarding your publication and dissemination of defamatory statements against him.
‘Your publication of September 25, 2024, on your Instagram page captioned ‘In everything and everyone that is mentioned here, I will be disappointed if truly FALZ and his father are involved in this whole Bobrisky issue…’ refers.
‘In publishing the statement on several online platforms, you informed your large viewership that Mr. Femi Falana ‘spoke to Bobrisky in order to divert justice’.
‘Your publication contained multiple allegations and that you did not expect Mr Femi Falana, who was a lawyer to the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, whom everyone respects, to ‘engage in something like this?’.
‘Your publication further alleged that Mr Femi Falana SAN wanted to get a presidential pardon for Bobrisky for the sum of N10,000,000.00.’
‘As if that was not enough, you proceeded to state as follows: ‘I don’t even believe that Femi Falana would bring himself down to this level, the whole Femi Falana would engage himself with something like this’… ‘The man started the pardon and he said he wanted to send it to the Minister of Justice in Abuja, who will send it to the President to approve it but you know Nigeria with corruption.’
’Femi FALANA collected N10,000,000 in order to wipe his name off record. These are people I respected. These are people I look up to…it is obvious that Nigeria will not go anywhere soon.’
The viral letter portrayed Femi Falana in very bad light and described his motivation for fighting against injustice and corruption in Nigeria and Africa as a ruse.
It added: ‘Mr Femi Falana spoke to Bobrisky to divert justice (sic) with a view to perverting justice for financial gains and material benefits.’
‘Mr. Femi Falana solicited a brief from Bobrisky and thereby contravened the Legal Practitioner Rules of Professional Conduct.’
‘Mr Femi Falana has participated in a device that constitutes subterfuge in concert with others who you also characterised as corrupt.’
‘Mr Falana’s fight against injustice is inconsistent with his publicly acclaimed and validated record of competence, honesty and integrity.’
‘Mr Falana, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has engaged in conduct that is incompatible with his professional role and duty as a legal practitioner in Nigeria.’
Femi Falana’s chambers have described the publication by VeryDarkMan as a reckless and wicked ploy to assassibate the character of the Senior advocate and have told him that he has no right under the law to damage the reputation of any citizen through the spread of baseless allegations built on lies.
They have therefore demanded for this: ‘The immediate retraction of the offensive and derogatory publication as well as an apology prominently published in all the platforms to which you have disseminated it without any justification whatsoever.’
They further warned: ‘Be advised that if we do not receive your formal retraction and apology as demanded within 24 hours of the receipt hereof, we shall proceed with our client’s instructions to seek appropriate legal remedies, including monetary damages, against you for your incendiary publication and dissemination of defamatory statements.’
