‘I’ve never met Bobrisky in my life’, Falana asks Verydarkblackman to retract video

Femi Falana SAN

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana SAN on Wednesday reacted to a viral video made by Martins Vincent Otse alias Verydarkblackman, claiming that the senior lawyer and his son Folarin a.k.a Falz allegedly collected N10 million Bobrisky to process his pardon for the offences of naira abuse of which he (Bobrisky) jailed. Falana said he’s never spoken with Bobrisky on any issue in his life.

In the video now gone viral by Verydarkblackman, he claimed to have Bobrisky on an audio interview claiming how officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) collected N15 million from him over a plea bargain that made the commission dropped money laundering charges against him, how the a godfather and the Comptroller General of Prisons ensured he never slept on day in prison by securing an apartment for him very near the prison, and how Falana and Falz collected N10 million from him to secure Presidential Pardon.

However, in a statement by his lawyer, Taiwo Olawanle, Falana  asks Verydarkblackman to retract the video or face legal action.

The letter reads:

Martins Vincent Otse,
Supreme Court Quarters,
Karu Abuja.

Instagram: @verydarkblackman

twitter: @thatverydarkmnn

DEMAND FOR WITHDRAWAL AND RETRACTION OF DEFAMATORY STATEMENT AGAINST MR FEMI FALANA SAN

We are Counsel to 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 (Ten million Naira only).

As if that was not enough, you proceeded to state as follows:

i  “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”

ii “…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.”

iii. “…Femi FALANA collected N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) 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 direct meaning of the imputation, and/or innuendo contained in the false, misleading and defamatory statements is that:

1. Mr Femi Falana is deceitful  and that his motivation for fighting against injustice and corruption in Nigeria and the entire Africa is a ruse.

2. Mr Femi Falana spoke to Bobrisky to divert justice with a view to perverting  justice for financial gains and material benefits.

3. Mr. Femi Falana solicited a brief from Bobrisky and thereby contravened  the Legal Practitioner Rules of Professional Conduct.

4. Mr Femi Falana has participated in a device that constitutes subterfuge in concert with others who you also characterized as corrupt.

5. Mr Falana’s fight against injustice is inconsistent with his publicly acclaimed and validated record of competence, honesty and integrity.

6. Mr Falana who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria has engaged in conduct that is incompatible with his profession role and duty as a  legal practitioner in Nigeria.

The entire publication was a vicious, wicked and reckless ploy to impugn the reputation of our client and lower him in the estimation of right-thinking members of the public. WE WISH TO STATE, WITHOUT ANY FEAR OF CONTRADICTION, THAT OUR CLIENT HAS NEVER, IN HIS LIFE, SPOKEN TO BROBRISKY ON HIS ALLEGED PARDON OR ON ANY MATTER WHATSOEVER.

While you are free to exercise your fundamental right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution, you are duty bound to ensure that what you publish and disseminate is credible and factual in every material particular. In other words, you have no right under the law to damage the reputation of any citizen by spreading baseless allegations based on sheer falsehood.

We, therefore, demand 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.

Be advised that if we do not receive your formal retraction and apology as demanded within 24 (twenty-four) 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.

We hope that the salient issue raised herein will urgently be addressed by you in your own interest.

Yours sincerely,

Taiwo E. Olawanle, Esq.