I Will Use VDM As Example To Stop Social Media Radicalism – Falana

By Charles Igbo

An apparently still upset and embarrassed Senior Lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has said that he would use the controversial case between Idris Okuneye, popular as Bobrisky, and Blogger, Martins Otse, popular as VeryDarkMan, VDM, to stop the menace of Social Media’s destructive radicalism.

Falana’s name and that of his son, Lawyer-turned musician, Folarin Falana, popular as Falz were inexplicably dragged into the controversy between VDM and Bobrisky.

VDM had released a viral audio post  where Bobrisky, allegedly, in a phone call to a friend of hers, told the yet-to-be identified friend that he had bribed  some officials of the EFCC with the sum of N15m to drop money laundry charges against him. He also said that between an unnamed godfather of his, and the Controller General of Prisons, it was arranged for him to serve her jail time in an apartment near the Prisons where he had access to everything. He, also, alleged that he bribed Prison Officials to get those privileges.

VDM told the House of Representatives Committee that he released the voice note because Bobrisky borrowed N4 million from someone and refused to pay.

However, even when Bobrisky paid the debt, VDM still released the voice note.

Bobrisky was arrested and prosecuted in Court by the EFCC for abusing and defacing the Naira. To the shock of not a few people, the Court which found him guilty  jailed him for six months without an option of fine, inspite of his pleading guilty to the offence as, allegedly, advised by his legal team.

Not a few people noted that, at least, two other people who committed same offence were given options of fine.

Bobrisky’s alleged claims, as revealed by VDM, has shocked Nigerians and ruffled feathers. The Board of the NCoS has suspended from office, two top officials over Bobrisky. The EFCC Chairman says it is  investigating the allegation against its operatives. The House of Representatives set up a Committee to investigate the allegations, while the Federal Government has, also, set up an Investigative Panel. It is expected that heads will roll by the time the dust settles.

What pains Falana  most was how his name and that of his son were dragged in. On the Falanas, the audio recording released by VDM claimed that Bobrisky disclosed that through an arrangement by Falz, he was going to pay Falana senior the sum of N10 million to secure him a Presidential pardon.

Bobrisky has, however denied the audio recording, and said it was AI-generated.

But telling his own side of the story, Thursday night on Channel Television’s Politics Today anchored by Seun Okinbaloye, Falana said he had neither met Bobrisky nor spoken to him before.

Falana: “Bobrisky never spoke to me. I have never met him. I do not know him from Adam. He was alleged to have spoken to my son, Folarin (Falz).

“Yes my son said this guy (Bobrisky) was appealing to people for assistance and called my son, I think on May 4, this year. ‘Please, can you give me N3 million to be placed in a special part of the prison?’. We call it the VIP section.

My son asked him ‘Are you calling me under the authorization of the Superintendent of Prisons?’ He said no. And my son said ‘Please don’t call me again. I am unable to assist you to bribe the prison authorities. And be very careful since you are already in prison for an offence. Please if you are going to call me next time, you either go through the superintendent or you write a letter endorsed by the prison authorities’ and that was the last.

“Somebody now starts releasing tapes somewhere and went on to lampoon and rather defame me by saying the guy had spoken to me.

This is infantile radicalism.”

Falana revealed that he had helped hundreds of people who had legal problems without asking for a kobo.

On his next step, he said he had made public his conditions. He gave VDM 48 hours to render a public apology to him and his son. Have sane published in newspapers and posts on Social Media. He said given the gravity of what was done to him, he was not asking for too much. He insisted he would proceed to Court to clear the names of the Falanas. He said he very much appreciates freedom of speech, and is in the forefront of decriminalising it, but he needed it was not a license to defame and blackmail people.

He, therefore, said he would go on with a Civil suit in order to restore his and his son’s integrity.

He emphasized: “I want to use this case to set an example so that nobody will  simply run to the Social Media to defame any Nigerian.”