Why I cannot apologise to Femi Falana, Falz – VeryDarkMan vows
Ahead of a scheduled court hearing on a defamation lawsuit filed against him, popular social media critic VeryDarkMan (VDM) has denied any wrongdoing, rejecting accusations of defaming human rights lawyer Femi Falana and his son, musician Falz.
The defamation case stems from a controversial post VDM made in September, where he shared a leaked audio recording that implicated the Falana family.
In the leaked audio, Bobrisky, a well-known crossdresser, claimed that Falz and his father had reached out to him while Bobrisky was incarcerated at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre, allegedly offering N10 million to facilitate a “presidential pardon.”
Both Falana and Falz vehemently denied the allegations, calling them baseless and defamatory. They demanded that VDM issue a public apology and retract the statement within 24 hours.
When VDM failed to comply with the demand, the Lagos State High Court intervened, ordering him to remove the post ahead of the upcoming legal proceedings. The case is set to be heard at Ikeja High Court on Thursday, November 14, 2024.
In response to the legal action, VDM posted a new video on his Instagram page, where he stood firm in his refusal to apologize.
He reiterated that his intention in sharing the video was to expose corruption within the Nigerian system, not to damage the reputations of the Falanas.
He urged the Falanas to clear their names if they felt wronged, while maintaining that he would not retract his statement.
He said: “I just arrived in Lagos for the Femi Falana case against me at the Ikeja High Court by 9:00 AM. I came to Lagos ahead of that. As you all know, they (Falana and Falz) said I defamed them, but for me, it’s corruption that I exposed. I see things that don’t make sense, like someone going to prison and not serving jail term or the EFCC, which is expected to catch people involved in corruption, collecting money.
“That’s what I exposed. But sadly, some people, Falana and Falz, whose names were mentioned, said I should have informed them before posting such things about them. They asked me to apologize. I don’t see anything wrong with what I did, so I’m not apologizing to anybody. They should clear their name.
“I have tried to respect them, but it didn’t work because I went to prostrate for Falana, yet they insisted that I must go and apologize. Now it is time for the court hearing, and heaven won’t fall. Tomorrow, if I hear their names again, I will post it. I don’t fear anybody’s father. I don’t want a country where, when it is someone’s time, we should keep quiet.”
