NIGERIA: Social Media Critic ‘VeryDarkMan’ Arrives Lagos For Legal Battle With Femi Falana

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria

Social media personality and critic Martins Otse, known online as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has announced his arrival in Lagos ahead of the anticipated legal proceedings with prominent human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN.

The case, centred around allegations of defamation, is scheduled to begin on Thursday at the Ikeja High Court.

In a video posted on Facebook, Otse stated, “Just touched down Lagos for falana and daddy’s boy case against me…..according to them I allegedly d3f@med them,as for me I 3xpos3d corruption….anyways see yall in court tomorrow IKEJA HIGH COURT 9am.”

The controversy stems from Otse’s claims that Nigerian influencer and cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, widely known as Bobrisky, allegedly bribed officials from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to dismiss money laundering charges.

Otse released an audio clip in which Bobrisky purportedly claimed to have paid ₦15 million to EFCC officials and sought Falana’s assistance in obtaining a presidential pardon in exchange for an additional ₦10 million.

Falana, however, categorically denied these allegations in an interview with Channels TV’s Politics Today on October 3, describing them as unfounded and defamatory. “Bobrisky never spoke to me. I have never met him, and I do not know him,” Falana stated, explaining that it was his son, Folarin Falana (also known as Falz), whom Bobrisky allegedly contacted to inquire about prison accommodations.

According to Falana, his son advised Bobrisky to follow appropriate legal avenues and refused to engage in any bribery. Falana expressed frustration with the proliferation of false information, emphasising that neither he nor his son had any involvement beyond that single interaction.

While Falana initially refrained from filing a criminal complaint, he warned that he would pursue civil action if an apology and retraction were not issued by Otse. “We will not allow anyone to defame us on social media without consequences,” Falana asserted, adding that a suit would be filed if a satisfactory public apology was not forthcoming.