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Human rights lawyer Femi Falana and his son, musician Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, have demanded a public apology and retraction from popular crossdresser Idris Okuneye, known as Bobrisky, for alleged defamatory claims.
In an audio clip circulating online, Bobrisky claimed he engaged Falz's assistance to seek a presidential pardon, alleging the process involved significant payments to Falana.
The demands come in response to a letter issued by Falana's legal team on Monday, October 14, 2024, following audio recordings shared by media critic Martin Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan.
In the audio, Bobrisky alleges he sought ₦10 million for a pardon request and ₦3 million from Falz for preferential treatment at Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
Bobrisky also claimed to have paid ₦5 million upfront to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria to secure a pardon concerning charges from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Falana's legal representatives, Olorunfemi Akinyemi and Taiwo E. Olawanle, sharply rebuffed these claims as "false and defamatory."
Their letter emphasised, "Our clients have never engaged with you on any matter regarding a pardon or legal favour," and highlighted that the allegations were aimed at extorting the public while damaging Falana's reputation.
In one excerpt, the letter states, "You falsely claimed in a video that Falz told you his father had agreed to write a letter of pardon for you and that a ₦10,000,000 bribe was required."
According to Falana's team, this "completely unfounded" statement has already misled the public, as Bobrisky allegedly solicited funds under the guise of legal assistance from Falana.
The legal team has demanded that Bobrisky publicly retract and apologise for these statements across all platforms where the claims were shared.
They issued an ultimatum, warning, "If we do not receive your formal retraction and apology within 12 (twelve) hours of your receipt of this letter, we will proceed with legal remedies, including monetary damages."
Meanwhile, Justice M.O. Dawodu of the Lagos State High Court ruled that VeryDarkMan must remove his social media posts linking Bobrisky's claims to Falana and Falz, deeming them "defamatory and harmful" to the public image of both men.
The court ruling further supported Falana's stance, reinforcing Bobrisky's ultimatum to remove Falana and Falz's names from his alleged "reckless" statements.