Justice F. Azeez of a Lagos High Court has dismissed preliminary objections raised by social media critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), in the N1 billion defamation case filed by human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, and his son, rapper Folarin Falana (Falz).
In a ruling delivered on Tuesday, May 20, the judge held that VDM’s objections lacked merit and ordered him to pay N200,000 in costs—N100,000 each to Femi and Folarin Falana. The court also directed VDM to immediately file his defence.
The suit stems from a video posted by VDM on Instagram on September 24, 2024, which the Falanas claim contained defamatory statements injurious to their reputation. They are each demanding N500 million in damages, totaling N1 billion, and are seeking a declaration that the video was defamatory, along with a perpetual injunction preventing VDM and his associates from making or sharing similar content in the future.
At the hearing, Femi Falana was represented by lawyers Ernest Olawanle and Femi Akinyemi, while Falz was present in court. VDM was absent but represented by his counsel, Marvin Omorogbe.
