The Lagos State High Court has directed social media critic Martin Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, to remove defamatory remarks and videos about renowned lawyer and human rights activist Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, musician Folarin Falana, commonly known as Falz.
Justice M. O. Idowu, presiding over the case (suit no: ID/8584/GCM/2024), also imposed a ₦500 million fine on Otse for libel, ordering him to compensate the Falanas for the damages caused.
The ruling came after Otse’s series of posts on September 24, 2024, where he associated the Falanas with controversial Nigerian figure Bobrisky.
Justice Idowu declared that the remarks were “defamatory and harmful” to the public reputations of Femi Falana and his son.
The court observed that “the defendant was aware these statements were false and untrue, yet chose to publish them with the intent to harm their reputation,” according to the applicants.
Falana and Falz contended that the allegations were baseless and made solely to damage their reputations.
