A chieftain of the All-Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe, shared on his Facebook account, the latest on the ongoing drama between social media influencer, Martins Otse, popularly known as Verydarkblackman, Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju aka Bobrisky and Folarin Falana aka Falz.
It will be recalled that Bobrisky was arrested and arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for spraying money.
He was found guilty and sentenced to six months in prison. It was after the court convicted Bobrisky that another stage of the drama that would be dogging Bobrisky and, Verydarkman and the Falanas started.
According to the Punch, controversial social media personality, Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, released a recorded voice call between Bobrisky and another man, where Bobrisky alleged that he was in an apartment and that popular rapper, Folarin Falana, aka Falz, was going to assist him in securing a presidential pardon.
The Punch, in its article, Bobrisky: VDM alleges threat to life, Falz prepares for a legal battle, states thus: “In the audio, a voice that was said to be Bobrisky’s was heard telling the other person on the call how the EFCC collected N15m from him to drop the money laundering charge in the case built against him. He also stated that he was taken to an apartment close to the prison where she stayed hidden for six months.
“The voice said, “On my way to prison, my godfather called and assured me I wouldn’t enter prison. He told me not to worry and said he would arrange an apartment near the prison and speak to the Comptroller General of Prisons in Abuja.
“After they spoke, I was taken back and brought to an apartment where I was told not to come out until I finished my sentence. They informed the guy at the apartment that their boss instructed them to keep me there and not to let me leave.”
The saga continues.
Joe Igbokwe recently shared on his Facebook a statement by the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana.
Below are his words…
“Bobrisky never spoke to me. I’ve never met him. I don’t know him from Adam. He was alleged to have spoken to my son, Folarin (Falz).
“Yes my son said this guy was appealing to people for assistance and he called my son, I think on May 4 this year, “Please can you get me N3m to be placed in a special part of the prisons”.
We call it the VIP section and my son asked him, “Are you calling me under the authorization of the superintendent of prisons?
He said, ‘Don’t call me again, I am unable to assist you to bribe the prison authorities and be very careful since you are already in jail for an offence.
“Please if you are you are going to call me next time, you either do it through the superintendent of prison or you write a letter endorsed by the prison authorities and that was the last.
Somebody now said he listened to a tape somewhere and went out to lampoon and rather defame me by saying the guy has spoken to me.
“Of course, we are going to examine the call logs and my son has also said this was the guy who originated a call to me. My son has never negotiated fees on behalf of anybody.
“On the contrary, my three children normally refer people who need assistance to me…
“So what I am going to do? I have resisted the temptation to file a criminal complaint because I am leading a team of lawyers in West Africa to campaign for the decriminalisation of freedom of expression.
“This campaign is being coordinated by the Media Foundation for West Africa of which I’m a member of the board. We have succeeded in getting Liberia, Ghana and Sierra Leone to decriminalize freedom of expression.
“We are still appealing to other countries in the region to ensure that we respect freedom of expression but that is not a license for defaming people, for blackmailing people.
“And what we are saying if you are defamed, in the words of the late Justice Justice Olatawura in the case of Nwankwo and the State, “if you are defamed by anybody, please go out there and sue for libel where you would put your character in history.”
“In this case, we are not going to file a criminal complaint. We will not be pushed to do that. I’m currently defending a couple of journalists who are standing trial either under the Cyber Crime Act or Criminal Libel.
“What I am going to do is embark on civil proceedings to restore our integrity – my name and that of my son so that nobody will simply rush to social media to defame any Nigerian.
“We want to make an example in this case. We have asked for a retraction and an apology rendered to us and that is not too much and if we don’t have a retraction and apology acceptable to us and accepted by us, we are certainly going to initiate civil proceedings in the High Court.”
#Bobrisky
#falz
#VDM
#EFCC
#Prisons
