Nigerian crossdresser, Idris Okuneye popularly known as Bobrisky, has been issued a 12-hour ultimatum to tender a public apology to human rights lawyer, Femi Falana and his son Folarin popularly known as Falz.
Falana and his son also demanded the retraction of defamatory statements made by Bobrisky in audio recordings circulating online.
News About Nigeria earlier reported that in one of the audios shared by controversial social media critic Martin Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, Bobrisky claimed that he had spoken with Falz, requesting his assistance in persuading his father (Falana) to help secure a presidential pardon, which allegedly cost N10 million.
The crossdresser also alleged that he asked Falz for N3 million to secure special treatment at Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
Also, in another audio shared by VeryDarkMan, the crossdresser claimed to have paid N5 million to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in an attempt to secure a Federal Government pardon over charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Reacting to these claims in a letter dated October 14, 2024, which was made available to newsmen on Wednesday, Falana’s legal representatives, Olorunfemi Akinyemi and Taiwo E. Olawanle, accused Bobrisky of making false and defamatory statements about Falana and his son’s involvement in the alleged bribery and pardon.
Falana’s legal team further described Bobrisky’s claims as entirely unfounded and damaging to Falana’s reputation.
They, therefore, demanded a full retraction and apology to be published on all platforms where the statements were shared.
The letter partly reads, “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. 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. In another video, you claimed to have paid N5,000,000 (five million naira) upfront to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria to secure a Federal Government pardon over charges filed against you by the EFCC. You further alleged that the senior advocate initially requested N10,000,000 (ten million naira) for his legal services but, due to your frozen account, you could not raise the full amount. 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.”
