Nigeria – Falana Denies Bobrisky Bribery Claims, Demands Apology From VeryDarkMan

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria

Prominent human rights lawyer, Femi Falana SAN, has strongly denied allegations made by social media critic Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan.

The controversy revolves around claims that Nigerian crossdresser and influencer, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, bribed officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and sought Falana’s assistance in securing a presidential pardon.

The drama started when Otse shared an audio clip in which Bobrisky allegedly claimed to have paid N15 million to EFCC officials to drop money laundering charges.

Bobrisky also reportedly claimed that Falana was involved, seeking a presidential pardon for him in exchange for N10 million.

In a televised interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Thursday, October 3, monitored by our reporter, Falana dismissed the allegations as baseless and defamatory. He demanded a public apology from VeryDarkMan.

“Bobrisky never spoke to me. I have never met him, and I do not know him,” Falana stated. He clarified that Bobrisky had allegedly contacted his son, Folarin Falana (popularly known as Falz), seeking help to be transferred to a more favorable section of the prison.

“My son told him very clearly that he would not engage in any act of bribery and advised him to follow proper legal channels if he needed help,” Falana explained.

Falana emphasized that neither he nor his son had any involvement with Bobrisky beyond this interaction and expressed his frustration with the spread of false allegations.

The senior advocate revealed that while he had refrained from filing a criminal complaint, he was preparing to initiate civil proceedings if an apology and retraction were not forthcoming.

“We will not allow anyone to defame us on social media without consequences. If we don’t get an acceptable apology, we will pursue legal action in the High Court,” he said.