The Lagos State High Court has ordered popular social media critic, Martin Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, to take down defamatory content and videos involving prominent lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, Folarin Falana, also known as Falz. The court has also imposed a N500 million fine for libel.

Justice M. O. Idowu delivered the judgment on Tuesday in response to the defamation suit (suit no: ID/8584/GCM/2024) filed by the Falana family. The case revolved around social media posts made by VeryDarkMan on September 24, 2024, which linked the Falanas to controversial internet personality Bobrisky. The posts were deemed damaging to their reputation.

“The defamatory statements continue to trend on the defendant’s social media platforms, causing ongoing harm to the applicants’ reputation as long as the publications remain online,” said Justice Idowu. The court has ordered the immediate removal of the defamatory content.

Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights lawyer, and his son, Falz, a rapper and activist, took legal action following claims made by VeryDarkMan that connected them to Bobrisky, a controversial figure in Nigerian society. The court found the claims to be unsubstantiated and intended to tarnish the Falana family’s image.