Human rights lawyer Femi Falana and his son, the musician and activist Folarin Falana, also known as Falz, have called for a public apology and retraction from controversial crossdresser Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, over defamatory remarks made in audio recordings circulating online.
The accusations, which surfaced through the media critic Martin Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, center on claims that Bobrisky sought help from Falana and Falz to secure a presidential pardon in exchange for substantial sums of money.
In one of the audios, Bobrisky alleged that he had approached Falz to convince his father, Femi Falana, to assist in securing the pardon for a fee of N10 million.
He also claimed that he had asked Falz for an additional N3 million to obtain special treatment while in the Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
In another recording shared by VeryDarkMan, Bobrisky alleged he had already paid N5 million upfront to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) as part of an attempt to secure a federal pardon over charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Falana’s legal team responded swiftly, issuing a letter dated October 14, 2024, through legal representatives Olorunfemi Akinyemi and Taiwo E. Olawanle.
The letter, seen by reporters, accused Bobrisky of fabricating the story and making slanderous claims about both Falana and Falz, which they argue have caused significant damage to their reputations.
The letter clearly stated, “We are Counsel to Mr. Femi Falana SAN and Mr. Folarin Falana aka Falz (hereinafter referred to as ‘our clients’), on whose behalf we write this letter regarding your slanderous statements against them.”
It further accused Bobrisky of attempting to extort funds from the public by leveraging his recent imprisonment and falsely linking Falana and his son to a fabricated bribery scheme.
“You will recall that on 4 May 2024, you called Mr. Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, and requested N3,000,000 (Three Million Naira) to secure special treatment at Kirikiri Correctional Centre,” the letter noted, clarifying that Falz had refused the request.
Bobrisky had also claimed that Falz told him his father, Falana, was willing to write a letter of pardon, but Falana’s legal team firmly denied these allegations.
“Although Falz refused your request, you falsely claimed in a video that he told you his father, our client, had agreed to write a letter of pardon for you,” the letter continued.
The legal representatives also refuted claims that any money had been paid to secure legal services.
“In another video, you claimed to have paid N5,000,000 (Five Million Naira) upfront to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria to secure a Federal Government pardon over charges filed against you by the EFCC.
You further alleged that the Senior Advocate initially requested N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) for his legal services but, due to your frozen account, you could not raise the full amount,” the letter highlighted.
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In addition, the lawyers condemned the use of Falana’s name in what they described as a deliberate attempt to deceive the public and extort money from unsuspecting individuals.
“In fact, you have published a list of individuals who believed your fabricated story and contributed millions of naira, supposedly to pay our client to write a letter of pardon and bribe public officers on your behalf.
Your decision to involve our client in your criminal activities was purely a figment of your imagination,” the legal team stated emphatically.
The letter also sought to dispel any notion that Falana had ever communicated with Bobrisky or had any involvement in his alleged efforts to secure a pardon.
“Contrary to your baseless claims, you never instructed our client to write a letter of pardon for you,” the letter continued, asserting that no conversation had taken place between Falana and Bobrisky.
“It is clear that you made these defamatory statements recklessly, knowing full well that you did not call our client to request a letter of pardon.
Our client has NEVER spoken to you regarding your pardon or any other matter,” the letter added, making it clear that the allegations were entirely fabricated.
The lawyers noted that Falana’s long-standing reputation for providing pro bono legal services to hundreds of Nigerians, both locally and internationally, had been damaged by these false claims.
“Given that our client has secured pardons for over 300 Nigerians convicted by military and civilian courts in Nigeria, Libya, Thailand, and The Gambia on a pro bono basis, your defamatory statements have severely damaged his reputation, both locally and internationally,” they wrote.
The letter concluded with a strong demand for Bobrisky to retract his statements and issue an apology.
“We, therefore, demand an immediate retraction of your defamatory and derogatory statements, along with a prominently aired or published apology on all platforms where your false statements have been shared.
If we do not receive your formal retraction and apology within 12 (twelve) hours of your receipt of this letter, we will proceed with our client’s instructions to pursue legal remedies, including seeking monetary damages, for your malicious defamatory statements,” the legal representatives warned.
