The Lagos State High Court has ruled that social media critic Martin Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, must remove defamatory content about renowned lawyer and human rights activist Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, musician Folarin Falana, also known as Falz. In addition, the court has mandated that VeryDarkMan pay N500 million in damages for libel.
Justice M. O. Idowu delivered the judgment in the case with suit number ID/8584/GCM/2024 on Tuesday. The judgment pertains to posts made by VeryDarkMan on September 24, 2024, which linked the public figure Bobrisky to Falana and his son, Falz. The court found these statements to be defamatory and harmful to their public image.
Justice Idowu stated, “The applicants, Femi Falana and Falz, demonstrated that the defendant, VeryDarkMan, was aware of the falsity of the claims yet chose to publish them, thereby damaging their reputation.”
The court noted that the defamatory statements remain accessible on VeryDarkMan’s social media platforms, perpetuating harm to Falana and Falz’s reputation as long as they remain online.
