An Ikeja High Court has issued a ruling ordering social media activist Vincent Otse, also known as Very Dark Man (VDM), to take down defamatory content he posted online about prominent Nigerian lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, musician Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Matthias Dawodu, specifically directs VDM to remove a video he posted on September 24, which the Falanas claim contains damaging and false accusations. The court also instructed that VDM be formally served the originating summons through his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, within 14 days.
“The defendant, his agents, and associates are hereby restrained from further publishing or distributing any defamatory videos or comments regarding the applicants,” the judge stated. “He is ordered to remove the defamatory content posted on September 24 from all his social media platforms until the court’s pre-action protocol is fulfilled.”
The judge further granted permission to Femi Falana and his son to serve the legal documents by substituted means, specifically through VDM’s lawyer. The court emphasized that all required legal filings must be completed within the next 14 days.
The case stems from allegations made by VDM, where he reportedly shared an audio recording featuring unverified claims by popular cross-dresser Bobrisky. These allegations accused the Falanas of misconduct in relation to a legal matter.
Femi Falana, through his legal team, has filed a lawsuit (ID/8586GCM/2024), seeking N500 million in damages for defamation. In addition to monetary compensation, Falana is also asking the court to compel VDM to publicly apologize on his social media platforms for the defamatory remarks circulated in the viral video.
