LAGOS — The Lagos State High Court has ordered controversial social media critic Martin Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, to remove alleged defamatory comments and videos he made about renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, Nigerian rapper and activist Folarin Falana, also known as Falz.
The ruling was delivered on Monday, October 14, 2024, by Justice M. O. Dawodu in suit no: ID/8584/GCM/2024.
The court found that the statements and publications made by VeryDarkMan on his social media accounts in September 2024, linking the Falanas to popular Nigerian cross-dresser Bobrisky, were defamatory and damaging to their public image.
Justice Dawodu stated in his ruling, “According to the applicants (Falz and Femi Falana), the defendant (VeryDarkMan) knew these statements (Bobrisky’s claims) were false and untrue but proceeded to publish them to injure their reputation.”
The judge emphasised that the defamatory statements, which have continued to circulate across VeryDarkMan’s online platforms, are harmful to the reputations of Falz and his father.
“The injury to their reputation continues as long as the publication remains online,” the court noted.
Defamation and Public Image
The case revolves around social media posts made by VeryDarkMan on September 24, 2024, in which he shared false claims linking Bobrisky to the Falanas.
The court’s ruling underscores the growing concern over the misuse of social media platforms for spreading unverified and injurious claims about public figures.
In his ruling, Justice Dawodu ordered VeryDarkMan to remove the defamatory publications from all of his social media platforms, effectively putting an end to the ongoing damage to the Falanas’ reputations.
