A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has dismissed a preliminary objection raised by social media personality Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, in a N1 billion defamation lawsuit filed by renowned lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, rapper and activist Folarin Falana, better known as Falz.
Justice F.A. Azeez, who delivered the ruling, held that the Defendant’s argument on lack of jurisdiction was without merit. The court subsequently awarded N200,000 in costs against VeryDarkMan, with N100,000 going to each of the Claimants. The judge also ordered him to proceed with filing his defence.
The lawsuit revolves around a video posted to VDM’s Instagram account on September 24, 2024, which the Falana duo claim contained false and damaging statements targeting them. They are seeking N500 million in damages each, a court-ordered apology, and an injunction to stop any further defamatory content.
Although Femi Falana was not physically present in court, he was represented by legal counsel Ernest Olawanle and Femi Akinyemi. Falz was in attendance, while VDM was represented by his lawyer, Marvin Omorogbe.
VeryDarkMan had argued that the Lagos court lacked jurisdiction, stating that the alleged offence took place outside the state. However, the court rejected this stance, agreeing instead with the position advanced by the Claimants in their counter-affidavit and written submissions.
Justice Azeez adjourned the case to July 18, 2025, to allow the Defendant time to submit his formal response.
This development follows a similar ruling from another Lagos High Court, where Justice Mathias Dawodu struck out a related preliminary objection filed by VDM. That case, which stemmed from a pre-emptive motion granted in October 2024, was deemed irrelevant since the main defamation suit was already active before Justice Azeez.
In the substantive case, the Falanas are asking the court to declare the publication defamatory, restrain the Defendant from making further harmful statements, and mandate a public apology across his social media platforms and in a national newspaper.
