Human rights lawyer Femi Falana and his son, musician and activist Folarin Falana, known as Falz, have called for a public apology and retraction of defamatory statements made by popular crossdresser Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky.
The claims were spread through audio recordings circulating online.
In one of the recordings, shared by controversial media critic Martin Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, Bobrisky alleged that he had spoken with Falz to request his help in convincing his father (Falana) to secure a presidential pardon, which allegedly involved a payment of N10 million.
Bobrisky further claimed that he asked Falz for N3 million to ensure preferential treatment at Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
In another audio released by VeryDarkMan, Bobrisky claimed to have paid N5 million upfront to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria to obtain a Federal Government pardon for charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
However, in a letter dated October 14, 2024, from Falana’s legal representatives, Olorunfemi Akinyemi and Taiwo E. Olawanle, and seen by journalists on Wednesday, Bobrisky was accused of making false and defamatory statements regarding Falana and his son’s involvement in the alleged bribery scheme.
The legal team stated that the accusations were baseless and damaging to Falana’s reputation.
They demanded an immediate public apology and a full retraction, to be published across all platforms where the statements were shared.
The letter read, “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.
“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.
