A Lagos High Court has ruled that controversial social media commentator Martins Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, must pay a total of N200,000 in damages to human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, musician-activist Folarin “Falz” Falana, in a defamation case. The judgment, delivered on Thursday, 22 May 2025, stemmed from a 2024 viral video in which Otse accused the Falanas of facilitating the release of crossdresser Bobrisky from money laundering charges.
In the contentious video, Otse alleged that the Falanas had influenced the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to drop a N15 million case against Bobrisky, accusing them of hypocrisy. The father-son duo swiftly filed a N1 billion defamation lawsuit, demanding accountability for the claims.
Otse contested the suit, arguing that the Lagos court lacked jurisdiction since the alleged offense occurred outside the state. However, Justice O. A. Ogunbowale dismissed his objection as “baseless,” ordering him to pay N100,000 each to the Falanas as compensation.
Falz attended the proceedings in person, while Femi Falana was represented by his legal team. Otse, absent during the ruling, was defended by his lawyer, Marvin Omorogbe.
