Popular human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has clarified that he has never had any interaction with celebrity crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky.
Falana made this revelation during an interview on Channels TV on Thursday night, while responding to allegations linking him and his family to the Bobrisky bribery scandal.
Falana emphasised that neither he nor his family had any dealings with Bobrisky. He did, however, acknowledge that Bobrisky had once contacted his son, Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, seeking financial assistance while in prison.
"Bobrisky never spoke to me. I have never met him, I don't know him from Adam," Falana stated. "He was alleged to have spoken to my son, Folarin. My son said this guy was appealing to him for assistance and called asking for N3 million to be placed in a special part of the prison, which we call the VIP section."
Falana further explained how Falz handled the situation. "My son asked him, 'Are you calling me under the authorisation of the superintendent of prisons?' He said, 'No.' My son then told him, 'Please don't call me again. I'm unable to assist you in bribing the prison authorities, and be careful since you're already in jail for an offence.' That was the end of their communication."
Falana condemned the subsequent rumours and defamatory statements from netizens, attributing them to social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.
The lawyer addressed the bribery allegations that had spread on social media, insisting his son never negotiated or intervened in any Bobrisky matter.
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"Somebody now said that he listened to a tape somewhere and went out to lampoon and defame me," Falana remarked. "My son has never negotiated on behalf of anybody. On the contrary, my three children usually refer people who need assistance to me."
Falana explained his decision not to pursue criminal charges against VeryDarkMan, despite the defamation of his name. "I have resisted the temptation to file a criminal complaint because I'm leading a team of lawyers in West Africa campaigning for the decriminalisation of freedom of expression. In this case, we won't file a criminal complaint. Instead, we will embark on civil proceedings to restore our integrity and clear my name and that of my son."
Falana spoke in response to claims made by VeryDarkMan, who had suggested that Falana and his son Falz were involved in a bribery case involving Bobrisky. The controversial activist has since retracted his statements and offered an "unreserved apology" to Falana while appearing before the House of Representatives on Monday.
In his apology, VeryDarkMan acknowledged that he did not believe Falana had any involvement in the alleged bribery between Bobrisky and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), retracting the unverified claims he had made on social media.
