“Why I can’t apologize to the Falana’s” – VeryDarkMan

• VDM, a prominent social media critic, has denied defaming Femi Falana and his son, Falz, ahead of a court hearing for a defamation lawsuit.

• In September, VDM leaked an audio involving crossdresser Bobrisky implicating Falz and his father.

• Bobrisky, in a leaked audio, claimed Falz and his father contacted him while he was imprisoned at Kirikiri Correctional Centre to secure a N10 million “presidential pardon.”

• Falana and Falz denied the claim and demanded an apology and retract of VeryDarkMan’s statement, which they deemed “defamatory,” within 24 hours.

Ahead of the court proceedings concerning a defamation lawsuit against him, prominent social media commentator VeryDarkMan, also known as VDM, has refuted allegations of defaming human rights attorney Femi Falana and his son, musician Falz.

According to GistLover, in September, VDM released a leaked audio recording in which crossdresser Bobrisky made claims implicating Falz and his father.

In the contentious audio, Bobrisky asserted that Falz and his father had reached out to him during his incarceration at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre to arrange a “presidential pardon” in exchange for N10 million.

Both Falana and Falz have denied these allegations and demanded that VeryDarkMan issue an apology and retract his statements, which they labeled as “defamatory,” within a 24-hour timeframe.

After VDM failed to comply with the retraction and apology request, the Lagos State High Court mandated him to remove the alleged defamatory content prior to the hearing of the main lawsuit at the Ikeja High Court in Lagos on Thursday, November 14, 2024.

In a recent video shared on his Instagram account, VDM maintained his stance of not issuing an apology, emphasizing that his intention in posting the video was to highlight corruption in Nigeria and urged the Falanas to take steps to clear their names.

He said: “I just arrived in Lagos for the Femi Falana case against me at the Ikeja High Court by 9:00 AM. I came to Lagos ahead of that. As you all know, they (Falana and Falz) said I defamed them, but for me, it’s corruption that I exposed. I see things that don’t make sense, like someone going to prison and not serving jail term or the EFCC, which is expected to catch people involved in corruption, collecting money.

“That’s what I exposed. But sadly, some people, Falana and Falz, whose names were mentioned, said I should have informed them before posting such things about them. They asked me to apologize. I don’t see anything wrong with what I did, so I’m not apologizing to anybody. They should clear their name.

“I have tried to respect them, but it didn’t work because I went to prostrate for Falana, yet they insisted that I must go and apologize. Now it is time for the court hearing, and heaven won’t fall. Tomorrow, if I hear their names again, I will post it. I don’t fear anybody’s father. I don’t want a country where, when it is someone’s time, we should keep quiet.”