Falana, VeryDarkMan Defamation Case Hits a Setback in Court
The defamation case filed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Femi Falana and his son, Folarin (better known as Falz), against social media influencer Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has encountered a delay in court. The case, which was scheduled to continue on Thursday, was adjourned until January 23 due to pending applications that had not yet been filed in the court records.
VDM, who arrived at the Lagos High Court in Ikeja at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday dressed in red native attire and surrounded by cheering supporters, appeared alone in the courtroom. The Falanas were absent from the proceedings.
In an earlier ruling on October 14, Justice Matthias Dawodu granted an ex-parte application filed by the Falanas, ordering VDM to remove a defamatory video he posted on September 24. The video allegedly contained false claims about the Falanas, including accusations that they accepted N10 million from crossdresser Idris Okuneye (Bobrisky) to obstruct justice. Justice Dawodu also issued an injunction preventing VDM from publishing or sharing any further defamatory content about the Falanas while the case is ongoing.
Additionally, the court instructed that VDM be served all relevant court documents through his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju.
The Falanas are seeking N500 million in damages each, alleging that the video falsely tarnished their reputations by spreading unverified and damaging information. They argue that the video continues to harm their reputations as long as it remains online.
In response to the ruling, VDM has filed for leave to appeal the court’s decision. His legal team argues that the case raises significant legal questions that should be reviewed by a higher court, and that a refusal to allow an appeal would result in a miscarriage of justice.
