Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has given Bobrisky a 12-hour deadline to issue a public apology over alleged defamatory statements, warning of legal action if ignored.
Femi Falana (SAN), a well-known Nigerian human rights lawyer, has demanded that Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky and a recognized crossdresser, issue a public apology and retraction for alleging that Falana sought N10 million to arrange a presidential pardon.
In a letter dated October 14, 2024, Olorunfemi Akinyemi and Taiwo Olawanle, the legal representatives of Falana, alleged that Bobrisky had disseminated false and defamatory statements.
In audio recordings circulating online, Bobrisky reportedly alleged that Falana had requested N10 million to obtain a pardon for him after his recent imprisonment. He also claimed that N5 million of this amount had already been paid to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria as part of the deal.
Falana’s legal team asserted that the allegations were utterly unfounded and harmful to his reputation. They insisted on a full public retraction and apology, to be published across all platforms where the false claims appeared.
They warned that failure to comply within 12 hours of receiving the letter would lead to legal action, including claims for financial compensation.
The letter further disclosed that Bobrisky had allegedly tried to solicit N3 million from rapper Folarin Falana (Falz), under the false pretense that the lawyer, who is also Falana’s father, had pledged to arrange special accommodations at Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
Falana’s legal team clarified that no conversations of this sort took place, characterizing Bobrisky’s accusations as an attempt to extort money and damage Falana’s professional reputation.
The letter states: “We represent Mr. Femi Falana SAN (hereafter referred to as ‘our client’) and are writing on his behalf concerning your defamatory remarks about him.”
We have verified that during your recent imprisonment, you exploited the situation to extort money from a group of artists and other individuals. You may remember calling Mr. Falarin Falana, also known as Falz, on May 4th, 2024. During this call, you asked him for N3,000,000 (Three Million Naira) in order to secure special accommodation at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
Although Falz declined your request, it was mentioned in a video that he told you his father, our client, had agreed to draft a letter of pardon on your behalf. You further stated that our client discussed with you and mentioned the need for N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) to bribe officials responsible for processing your pardon application.
The statement went on to say, “In a separate video, you asserted that you had paid 5 million Naira (N5,000,000) in advance to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria trying to obtain a Federal Government pardon for the charges brought against you by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).”
You mentioned that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria initially asked for N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) as payment for his legal services. However, you informed him that your account had been frozen by the EFCC and you couldn’t procure the entire amount.
Falana’s legal team remarked that Bobrisky aimed to benefit himself by damaging their client’s reputation.
Actually, you have since released a list of individuals who fell for your fabricated story and contributed millions of Naira to persuade our client to draft a pardon letter and bribe certain unnamed public officials on your behalf.
READ ALSO: Falana Denies Charging for Pardon Letters Amid Bobrisky Controversy
Your choice to implicate our client in the criminal operation was purely a creation of your vivid imagination.
The letter states, “In opposition to your false assertions, you never instructed our client to draft a pardon letter on your behalf.”
The legal team clarified that Bobrisky has never spoken to their client nor instructed him to write a letter of pardon on his behalf.
They also refuted claims that Bobrisky made a partial payment of N5,000,000 (Five Million Naira) to their client and maintained that their client never told him about submitting a letter of pardon on his behalf.
“The lawyers stated, ‘You will concede that you made these defamatory statements recklessly, knowing full well that you never called our client to instruct him to write a letter of pardon on your behalf. Our client has NEVER spoken with you about your pardon or any matter at all.'”
The statement goes on to say, “Considering that our client has obtained pardons for over 300 Nigerians convicted by military and civilian courts in Nigeria, Libya, Thailand, and The Gambia at no charge, your defamatory remarks have significantly harmed his reputation both domestically and internationally.”
We demand that you immediately retract the defamatory and derogatory statements and issue a prominently displayed apology on all platforms where you disseminated the unjustified offensive statement.
Please be aware that if we do not receive your official retraction and apology within 12 hours of receiving this notice, we will follow our client’s instructions to pursue appropriate legal action against you for your inflammatory defamatory statements, which may include seeking monetary damages.
“We trust that you will urgently address the important issues highlighted here for your own benefit,” they added.
Remember that the Lagos High Court had issued a temporary order preventing Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, from continuing to publish defamatory content about the renowned human rights lawyer.
The court ordered VeryDarkMan, along with his agents and associates, to take down the defamatory videos and comments posted on September 24, 2024, from all of his social media platforms.
Justice M.O. Dawodu issued the order on Monday, conditional upon Otse’s adherence to the court’s Pre-Action Protocol.
The decision is a result of the lawsuit with case number ID/8586GCM/2024, filed by Falana against VeryDarkMan.
