The Federal High Court in Lagos has issued an interim injunction restraining social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, from further publishing defamatory content about renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN).
The court also directed that Otse remove the controversial videos and comments posted on September 24, 2024, from all his social media platforms.
Justice M.O. Dawodu granted the order on Monday, pending Otse’s compliance with the court’s Pre-Action Protocol, in response to a lawsuit filed by Falana.
In his ruling, Justice Dawodu-Judge said, “The Applicant has a legal right to be protected from being defamed by the actions of the Defendant. Whether this action will succeed can only be determined during the hearing of the matter.
“There is no doubt that the Applicant has a legal right not to be defamed and has proved the possible existence of a breach of same through the depositions in his affidavit. See Akapo v. Hakeem- Habeeb [1992] 6 NWLR (Pt. 247) pg. 266.
“From the affidavit evidence and the documents in support thereof, it is clear that there are substantial issues to be tried in this matter; the balance of convenience seems to be in favour of the Applicant, and damages might not be adequate compensation, especially moreso that the Defendant might not be in good financial standing to compensate the Applicant if the Court finds in his favour.
“From the foregoing, this Court finds that the Applicant has satisfied the conditions stated in Adeleke v. Lawal (supra). See also Adeyemi Works Construction (Nig.) Ltd. v. Omolehin [2004] 6 NWLR (Pt. 870) pg. 650; Orji v. Zaria Industries Ltd. [1992] 1 NWLR.”
The ruling aims to protect Falana’s reputation following allegations made by VeryDarkMan involving a high-profile legal case.
Falana’s legal team is seeking damages of N500 million.
