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A Lagos High Court has rejected social media influencer VeryDarkMan’s (Martins Otse) attempt to dismiss a N1 billion defamation suit filed by Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, Falz.
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Justice F.A. Azeez ordered VeryDarkMan to pay N200,000 in costs and to file his defence after ruling the court has jurisdiction to hear the case.
A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has dismissed an application by social media figure Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), seeking to strike out a N1 billion defamation lawsuit filed by renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, rapper and activist Folarin Falana (Falz).
Justice F.A. Azeez ruled that the court had jurisdiction to entertain the suit, rejecting the defendant’s claim that the alleged offence occurred outside Lagos. The judge ordered Otse to pay N200,000 in costs—N100,000 each to the two claimants—and to promptly file his statement of defence.
The lawsuit stems from a video posted on VDM’s Instagram account on September 24, 2024, which the Falanas allege contained defamatory remarks.
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They are seeking N500 million each in damages, a public apology on all social platforms and in a national daily, and a perpetual injunction restraining Otse from further defamatory comments.
Though Femi Falana was absent at Tuesday’s proceedings, he was represented by his legal team, Ernest Olawanle and Femi Akinyemi, while Falz appeared in person. VDM was represented by his lawyer, Marvin Omorogbe.
The case has been adjourned to July 18, 2025.
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