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October 16, 2024
This ultimatum was conveyed through a letter dated October 14, 2024 and signed by Olorunfemi Akinyemi, Esq., and Taiwo E. Olawanle, Esq., of Falana and Falana's Chambers.
Nigerian rapper Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, has given cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, aka Bobrisky, 12 hours to apologise and retract defamatory statements made against him.
This ultimatum was conveyed through a letter dated October 14, 2024 and signed by Olorunfemi Akinyemi, Esq., and Taiwo E. Olawanle, Esq., of Falana and Falana's Chambers.
The letter demands that Bobrisky not only retract his statements but also issue a written apology, which must be prominently published on all platforms where the defamatory remarks were shared. Failure to comply will prompt the Falz to seek legal remedies, including monetary damages.
This development comes after Bobrisky alleged that Falz had offered to secure a presidential pardon through his father, renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, for N10 million.
However, Falz's legal team has vehemently denied these claims, stating that Bobrisky had initiated contact seeking financial assistance, which Falz refused.
Falz, in the letter from his lawyers, titled: ‘Demand for withdrawal and retraction of defamatory statement against Mr Folarin Falana (aka Falz),’ accused Bobrisky of taking advantage of his recent imprisonment to extort money from a group of artists and other members of the public.
The letter partly reads: "We have confirmed that you took advantage of your recent imprisonment to extort money from a group of artists and other members of the public. You would recall that you called Mr. Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, on May 4, 2024, and requested him to assist you with the sum of N3,000,000 (Three Million Naira) to secure a special place in the Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
"Even though our client turned down your request, you were quoted in a video to have said that his father, Mr Femi Falana SAN informed you that he had undertaken to write a letter of pardon for you.
“You also said that our client's father, Mr Femi Falana SAN had spoken to you and that the sum of N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) would be needed to bribe officials who would process the application for your pardon.
"In another video, you claimed that you had paid N5,000,000 (Five Million Naira) upfront to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in an attempt to secure a Federal Government pardon over the charges filed against you by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“You also claimed that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria had initially requested N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) for his legal services but that you explained to him that you were unable to raise the full amount as your account had been frozen by the EFCC.
"It is undoubtedly clear that you set out to enrich yourself at the expense of our client's reputation. In fact, you have since published a list of persons who believed your concocted story and donated millions of Naira to pay our client's father to write a letter of pardon and bribe some unnamed public officers on your behalf."
It added, "Your decision to involve our client in the criminal enterprise was a figment of your fertile imagination. Contrary to your spurious claims, you never briefed our client's father to write a letter of pardon for you.
“In particular, you never spoke to our client's father or instructed him to write a letter of pardon for you. Furthermore, you did not make a part payment of N5,000,000 (Five Million Naira) to our client's father and never informed you that he had submitted a letter of pardon on your behalf.
"You will agree with us that you made all these defamatory statements in a reckless manner when you knew that you did not call our client on the phone to instruct him to write a letter of pardon on your behalf. Our client has NEVER spoken to you on your pardon.
"We, therefore, demand the immediate retraction of the defamatory and derogatory statements as well as an apology prominently aired or published on all the platforms to which you have disseminated the offensive statement without any justification whatsoever.
"Be advised that if we do not receive your formal retraction and apology as demanded within 12 (twelve) hours of the receipt hereof, we shall proceed with our client's instructions to seek appropriate legal remedies, including monetary damages, against you for your incendiary defamatory statements.
"We hope that the salient issues raised herein will urgently be addressed by you in your own interest."
SaharaReporters reported on October 15 that a Lagos State High Court, Ikeja Judicial Division had ordered a blogger, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, to bring down the defamatory video/comments about Falz, published on all his online social media handles/pages within 21 days.
The posts were made on September 24, 2024.
The court also “restrained him, his agents, and privies from further releasing, publishing, or circulating any defamatory videos/comments about Falz pending compliance with the Pre-Action Protocol of this Honourable Court”.
The orders were issued following an ex-parte application brought by Folarin Falana through his counsel, Deji Adeyanju Esq. in Suit No ID/8584/GCM/2024 dated October 9, 2024 and delivered on Monday, October 14, 2024.
In the ex-parte originating application, the Claimant had sought among others, “an order of interim/pre-emptive remedy by the court restraining the Defendant, his agents, privies and/or anybody from further circulating or publishing any defamatory video/comments about the Applicant, and to bring down the defamatory video/comments about the Applicant published on 24th September 2024 on all his online social media handles/pages pending compliance with the Pre-Action Protocol of this Honourable Court”.
Falz also sought "an order granting leave to the Applicant to serve the Pre-Action Bundles, Originating Processes and all other court processes between parties herein on the Defendant by substituted means through his Lawyer Deji Adeyanju of Deji Adeyanju & Partners at Terrace Block D4, White Diamond Estate, Makuru Street, Off Embu Street, Off Aminu Kano, Wuse II, Abuja.
"Such Further Order(s) as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of this ex-parte application."
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