Bobrisky: Fanlana Denies Wrongdoing As Minister Orders Probe

Posted by Nwa Diokpa Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Thursday, September 26th, 2024

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has debunked any involvement with Bobrisky and issued VeryDarkMan a 24-hour ultimatum to retract the statement he made connecting him with the crossdresser.

This development is coming on the heels of the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, calling for a thorough investigation into allegations of bribery within the Nigerian Correctional Service.

Although the minister did not indicate any particular case but his directive is coming on the heels of the voice note uploaded by Martins Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan, in which Idris Okuneye, aka Bobrisky, alleged that after his conviction and sentencing for abuse of the naira notes in April, his godfather, alongside the Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, arranged for him to serve his six-month sentence in a private apartment.

Femi Falana, reacting in a letter to VeryDarkMan called for a retraction and also an apology. “We wish to state, without any fear of contradiction, that our client (Falana) has never, in his life, spoken to Brobrisky on his alleged pardon or on any matter whatsoever.”

In a voice note that has since gone viral, a voice, believed to be Bobrisky’s, was heard saying: “There’s jealousy involved. When I got to court, I admitted guilt, hoping for either a fine or community service. However, the court sentenced me. On my way to prison, my godfather called and assured me I wouldn’t enter prison. He told me not to worry and said he would arrange an apartment near the prison and speak to the Comptroller General of Prisons in Abuja.

“After they spoke, I was taken to an apartment where I was told not to come out until I finished my sentence. They informed the person at the apartment that their boss instructed them to keep me there and not let me leave. The person said he’d collect N10m, so I had to call Elele again. Elele gave me N2m because there was no one else to call.”

The same voice note also captured the crossdresser claiming that he paid a N15m bribe to officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to drop the charges of money laundering against him.

According to the voice note, Bobrisky also alleged to have been contacted by Nigerian singer, Falz, and his human rights lawyer father, Falana, who proposed to help him seek the Federal Government’s pardon for a N10m fee.

Reacting to this development in a statement on Wednesday by his media aide, Alao Babatunde, the interior minister called for probe as no form of injustice will be tolerated under his watch.

“The Minister of Interior has directed an unconditional and comprehensive investigation into the allegations of bribery and corruption within the Nigerian Correctional Service.

“Tunji-Ojo unequivocally condemned the alleged reprehensible behaviour, emphasising that any form of indiscipline, unprofessionalism, or corruption will be met with zero tolerance and severe consequences within the paramilitary services under the ministry’s purview.

“The ministry will not tolerate any compromise on its core values of integrity, transparency, and accountability. We will leave no stone unturned in rooting out corruption and ensuring that those found culpable face the full wrath of the law,” Alao

Meanwhile, Falana has written a pre-action letter to VeryDarkMan, who uploaded the vote note, asking for a retraction of the alleged defamatory statement against him.

In a letter, written on his behalf by Taiwo Olawanle of Falana and Falana Chambers, the human rights lawyer gave the social media influencer 24 hours to retract the statement and tender an apology or he would face legal action.

The letter read partly: “We are counsel for Mr Femi Falana SAN (hereinafter referred to as “our client”), on whose behalf we write this letter regarding your publication and dissemination of defamatory statements against him.

“Your publication of September 25, 2024, on your Instagram page captioned ‘In everything and everyone that is mentioned here, I will be disappointed if truly FALZ and his father are involved in this whole Bobrisky issue…’ refers.

“In publishing the statement on several online platforms, you informed your large viewership that Mr. Femi Falana ‘spoke to Bobrisky in order to divert justice’.

“Your publication contained multiple allegations and that you did not expect Mr Femi Falana, who was a lawyer to the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, whom everyone respects, to ‘engage in something like this?’.

“Your publication further alleged that Mr Femi Falana SAN wanted to get a presidential pardon for Bobrisky for the sum of N10,000,000.00.

“As if that was not enough, you proceeded to state as follows: ‘I don’t even believe that Femi Falana would bring himself down to this level, the whole Femi Falana would engage himself with something like this’… ‘The man started the pardon and he said he wanted to send it to the Minister of Justice in Abuja, who will send it to the President to approve it but you know Nigeria with corruption.’

“’Femi FALANA collected N10,000,000 in order to wipe his name off record. These are people I respected. These are people I look up to…it is obvious that Nigeria will not go anywhere soon.’”

According to the letter, the social media post by VeryDarkMan portrayed Falana in a bad light as “the direct meaning of the imputation, and/or innuendo contained in the false, misleading and defamatory statements is that: Mr Femi Falana is deceitful and that his motivation for fighting against injustice and corruption in Nigeria and entire Africa is a ruse.

“Mr Femi Falana spoke to Bobrisky to divert justice (sic) with a view to perverting justice for financial gains and material benefits.

“Mr. Femi Falana solicited a brief from Bobrisky and thereby contravened the Legal Practitioner Rules of Professional Conduct.

“Mr Femi Falana has participated in a device that constitutes subterfuge in concert with others who you also characterised as corrupt.”

“Mr Falana’s fight against injustice is inconsistent with his publicly acclaimed and validated record of competence, honesty and integrity.

“Mr Falana, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has engaged in conduct that is incompatible with his professional role and duty as a legal practitioner in Nigeria.”

According to the letter, VeryDarkMan’s publication is “a vicious, wicked and reckless ploy to impugn the reputation of our client and lower him in the estimation of right-thinking members of the public”.

It stated that although the social media influencer had the fundamental right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution but, “you are duty bound to ensure that what you publish and disseminate is credible and factual in every material particular. In other words, you have no right under the law to damage the reputation of any citizen by spreading baseless allegations based on sheer falsehood”.

The chamber, therefore, “demand immediate retraction of the offensive and derogatory publication as well as an apology prominently published in all the platforms to which you have disseminated it without any justification whatsoever”.

“Be advised that if we do not receive your formal retraction and apology as demanded within 24 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 publication and dissemination of defamatory statements,” they added.