On Tuesday, the Lagos High Court in Ikeja ordered social media influencer Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, to remove a defamatory video and accompanying comments posted on September 24th. The video targeted Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, and his son, Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz. Justice Matthias Dawodu issued the order and further restrained the influencer from publishing or circulating any additional defamatory content concerning the duo on his social media platforms, pending the hearing of the case.

The court’s ruling came after the Falanas filed separate lawsuits against VeryDarkMan, demanding ₦500 million each in damages. They accused the influencer of falsely alleging that they had received ₦10 million from Idris Okuneye, known as Bobrisky, to manipulate justice. According to the Falanas, the claims were not only unverified but also intended to damage their reputation. The defamatory video is still accessible online, compounding the reputational harm they argue they have suffered.

In their suits, the Falanas emphasized that the video was based on a one-sided, unverified audio recording, where Bobrisky never mentioned paying them any money. However, VeryDarkMan falsely claimed in his video that Femi Falana had collected ₦10 million to clear Bobrisky's name. In the video, the influencer expressed disbelief, stating, "I don’t even believe that Femi Falana would bring himself down to this level... it is obvious that Nigeria will not go anywhere soon."

The Falanas’ legal counsel, Olorunfemi Akinyemi, noted that VeryDarkMan had not contacted the Falanas for their side of the story before broadcasting the allegations to his large following. Akinyemi described the video as reckless and defamatory, accusing the influencer of knowingly spreading false information. He stressed that litigation was a last resort and expressed openness to alternative dispute resolution, provided VeryDarkMan retracted the video and issued a public apology on all his social media platforms.

The Falanas are seeking an apology, a full retraction of the defamatory content, and ₦500 million in damages for defamation. They also want VeryDarkMan to prevent his followers or agents from sharing or further distributing the defamatory content.

In his ruling, Justice Dawodu upheld the Falanas’ request for interim protection from slander, acknowledging their legal right to safeguard their reputation. He ordered VeryDarkMan to remove the video and refrain from further defamatory actions. Additionally, the judge granted permission to serve all legal documents to VeryDarkMan through his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju.

The orders are effective for 21 days, giving the Falanas time to comply with the pre-action protocols and continue the legal process.