A High Court in Ikeja has struck out the ₦500 million defamation lawsuit filed by prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, popular rapper and actor Falz, against Instagram activist Martins Otse, widely known as Verydarkman (VDM).
The suit stemmed from a viral audio recording allegedly made by cross-dresser Idris Okunneye, aka Bobrisky, which accused the Falanas of attempting to obstruct justice. VDM shared a video discussing the recording, prompting the defamation claim seeking ₦500 million in damages from each plaintiff.
At Tuesday’s hearing, none of the parties appeared in court. VDM’s legal team informed the court of a pending application before Justice Fimisola Azeez, requesting a stay of proceedings. The Falanas’ counsel, however, argued that this was a delay tactic and urged the court to proceed with the preliminary hearing.
Justice Matthias Dawodu, after noting that the application was not in his court file and questioning why he was handling a matter already assigned to another judge, decided to strike out the case.
“This matter is hereby struck out,” Justice Dawodu ruled.
The dismissal effectively puts an end to the legal tussle, pending any further legal action.
