Court Rejects VeryDarkMan’s Jurisdictional Objection In N1bn Defamation Case Filed By Femi Falana, Falz

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A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has thrown out a preliminary objection filed by social media personality Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, in a N1 billion defamation lawsuit instituted by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana and his son, musician and activist Folarin Falana, also known as Falz.

Delivering the ruling, Justice F.A. Azeez dismissed the objection that challenged the court’s jurisdiction and imposed a cost of N200,000 on the Defendant — awarding N100,000 each to both Claimants. The judge also directed that the Defendant file his defence without delay.

The case revolves around a video posted by VeryDarkMan on his Instagram page on September 24, 2024, which the Falanas claim contained false and defamatory statements. As part of their suit, the duo are seeking N500 million each in damages, a public apology, and a permanent injunction to bar any further defamatory posts.

At the hearing, Femi Falana was represented by his legal counsel, Ernest Olawanle and Femi Akinyemi, while Falz appeared in person. VeryDarkMan was absent but had legal representation through his counsel, Marvin Omorogbe.

In his objection, VeryDarkMan had argued that the court had no authority to hear the case since the alleged publication was made outside Lagos State. However, the court rejected this argument, siding with the Claimants who had submitted a counter-affidavit and written address opposing the objection.

Justice Azeez ruled that the matter should proceed and adjourned the case to July 18, 2025, to give the Defendant time to respond to the substantive claims.

This development follows an earlier ruling from another Lagos High Court presided over by Justice Mathias Dawodu, who also struck out a related preliminary objection filed by the Defendant. That earlier application, originally granted on October 14, 2024, was deemed irrelevant due to the ongoing proceedings before Justice Azeez.

The Falanas are asking the court to declare the statements made in the video as libelous, restrain the Defendant from making further defamatory remarks, and compel him to issue a public apology on all social platforms and in a widely read national newspaper.

#Defamation

#FemiFalana

#Verydarkman