Human rights activist and lawyer, Femi Falana, and his son, Folarin (Falz), have demanded a public apology and retraction of defamatory statements made by popular crossdresser, Idris Okuneye (Bobrisky).
In audio recordings circulating online, Bobrisky claimed that he had spoken with Falz to secure his father’s (Falana) assistance in obtaining a presidential pardon for N10 million. Additionally, Bobrisky alleged that Falz requested N3 million to secure special treatment at Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
In another audio shared by controversial media critic Martin Otse (VeryDarkMan), Bobrisky claimed to have paid N5 million upfront to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) to secure a Federal Government pardon over charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Falana’s legal team, Olorunfemi Akinyemi and Taiwo E. Olawanle described Bobrisky’s claims as “entirely unfounded” and “damaging” to Falana’s reputation.
In a letter dated October 14, 2024, Falana’s lawyers 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.”
The letter continued:
“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 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.”
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. You also stated that our client had spoken with you and that N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) was required to bribe officials to process your pardon.”
Falana’s legal team clarified that no such conversation had ever taken place and that Bobrisky’s allegations were aimed at extorting money from the public while tarnishing Falana’s professional reputation.
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“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.
Contrary to your baseless claims, you never instructed our client to write a letter of pardon for you.
The claim of a N5 million payment was also dismissed as groundless.
“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 lawyers asserted.
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.
The letter demands:
- Full retraction and apology
- Publication on all platforms where the statements were shared
- Compliance within 12 hours
Failure to comply will result in:
- Pursuit of legal remedies
- Monetary damages for malicious defamatory statements
