Controversial social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has firmly rejected calls to apologize to human rights lawyer Femi Falana and his son, rapper Falz, amid ongoing legal proceedings. VeryDarkMan is accused of defamation after he shared an alleged audio recording where crossdresser Bobrisky claimed the Falana family offered a presidential pardon in exchange for N10 million while she served a sentence for naira abuse. Both Bobrisky and the Falana family have denied the recording’s authenticity, with Bobrisky threatening legal action.
Following the release of the recording, the Falana family demanded a retraction and public apology from VeryDarkMan. The activist, however, refused, maintaining that his actions were aimed at exposing corruption rather than defaming anyone. He argued that he should not be held liable for comments he believes reveal injustices in the system.
The presiding judge, Matthias Dawodu, previously ordered VeryDarkMan to remove all “defamatory comments and videos” regarding the Falana family from his social media platforms and refrain from further public commentary on the matter. In response, VeryDarkMan filed two motions seeking an extension of time to appeal the court’s order, claiming that the ruling was based solely on the Falana family’s affidavit and that denial of his appeal request would result in “legal injustice.”
On Wednesday, VeryDarkMan announced his arrival in Lagos for the hearing, accompanied by his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju. Speaking in a video posted on Instagram, he reiterated his stance, asserting that he does not see his actions as defamation. “They asked me to apologize,” he stated, “but I don’t see anything wrong with what I did, so I’m not apologizing to anybody.”
The defamation hearing is scheduled to continue at the Ikeja High Court, where VeryDarkMan plans to defend his claims of exposing corruption.
