A Lagos court has ordered activist Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, to remove defamatory social media posts about rapper Falz and his father, Femi Falana. The interim order, valid for 21 days, also restricts Otse from further publishing similar content pending legal proceedings.
An Ikeja high court has issued an interim order restraining activist Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, from circulating or publishing defamatory content regarding rapper Falz and his father, human rights lawyer Femi Falana. The court’s decision, made on Monday by Justice M. O. Dawodu, mandates VeryDarkMan to remove all alleged defamatory videos and comments about Falz and Falana from his social media accounts.
The controversy began when VeryDarkMan shared a recording allegedly featuring Bobrisky, who claimed that Falana and Falz attempted to secure a presidential pardon for her in exchange for N10 million. Bobrisky has since denied this claim and threatened legal action against VeryDarkMan for defamation. In response, Falz and Falana also demanded a retraction and apology, arguing that the content has caused ongoing harm to their reputations.
In her ruling, Justice Dawodu emphasized that the order was necessary to prevent further damage to the reputations of Falz and Falana before a formal trial. The court highlighted that while the legal success of the case remains to be determined, Falz and his father have the right to protect their reputations. The order, which is valid for 21 days, prohibits VeryDarkMan from posting further defamatory content until compliance with the court’s pre-action protocols is met. The court also permitted Falana and Falz to serve relevant court documents to VeryDarkMan through his legal counsel.
