Popular rapper and activist, Folarin Falana, known as Falz, has issued another activist and social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), a 24-hour ultimatum to retract and apologise for alleged defamatory statements made against him.
Falz said VDM risked a lawsuit, including potential monetary damages if he failed to comply with his demand within the said timeframe.
Falz revealed these on his X (formerly Twitter) account, sharing a letter from his lawyers addressed to VeryDarkMan on Wednesday.
The letter, signed by Falz’s legal counsel, Taiwo E. Olawanle, Esq., demanded the withdrawal and retraction of the defamatory statements published on September 25, 2024, on VeryDarkMan’s Instagram page.
According to Falz’s lawyer, VDM’s Instagram post suggested Falz’s involvement in an underhand dealings to pervert the cause of justice in favour celebrity cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye, known as Bobrisky, during the latter’s imprisonment at a custodial facility in Lagos.
The post in question, which stated, “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…,” drew Falz’s ire because according to his lawyers, “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.”
According to the letter titled, “Demand For Withdrawal And Retraction Of Defamatory Statement Against Mr Folarin Falana (AKA Falz)”, the legal team, however, confirmed that the Rapper and Bobrisky interacted over the latter’s ordeals while in prison, but that the conversation was initiated by Bobrisky.
“To set the records straight, our client never at any point initiated a conversation with Mr. Idris Okuneye. Our client has documentary evidence that Mr. Idris was in fact the one who initiated a call,” the letter emphasized.
The letter further detailed the events of May 4, 2024, when Bobrisky allegedly contacted Falz over his predicament, saying the cross-dresser later requested financial assistance of N3,000,000 to secure preferential treatment at the Correctional Centre. According to the letter, Falz declined Bobrisky’s requests for financial aid, consistently advising against such payments.
LEADERSHIP recalls that VeryDarkMan had on Tuesday published allegations insinuating that Falz was involved in a scheme to help Bobrisky secure a presidential pardon at the cost of N10,000,000.
The letter, however, described the claims as defamatory and harmful to Falz’s reputation as a human rights activist.
“The direct meaning, imputation, purport, and/or innuendo of the false, misleading and defamatory statement is that our client, Mr. Folarin Falana (Aka Falz), connived with Bobrisky to pervert the cause of justice for financial gains, participated in a corrupt scheme, and is deceitful in his activism,” the letter stated.
Falz’s legal team described the allegations a “vicious, wicked, and reckless ploy” to damage his reputation and demanded an immediate public retraction and apology. They warned that failure to comply within 24 hours would result in legal action, including monetary damages.
“We, therefore, demand an immediate retraction of the offensive and derogatory publication as well as an apology prominently published on all the platforms to which you have disseminated it.”
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