A Lagos High Court in Ikeja has ruled against social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), ordering him to pay ₦200,000 in fines. This follows the dismissal of his preliminary objections in a ₦1 billion defamation lawsuit filed by renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, popular musician Folarin Falana, also known as Falz.
Justice Fimisola Azeez determined that VDM’s objections were without merit and awarded ₦100,000 each to Femi and Folarin Falana. Additionally, the court instructed VDM to file his defence in the ongoing defamation cases.
The Falanas are seeking redress over a video published by VDM on his Instagram page (@verydarkblackman) on September 24, 2024, which is said to be defamatory and injurious to their reputation, claiming ₦500 million in damages each, bringing the total claim to ₦1 billion, and requested an order compelling VDM to publish a public apology on all his social media platforms and in a national newspaper.