A judge at the Lagos High Court, Justice F. Afeez, has rejected the initial objection raised by social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, known as VeryDarkMan. This objection was part of a N1 billion defamation lawsuit filed by well-known lawyer Femi Falana and his son, popular musician Falz.

According to a report by Vanguard, the court gave its decision on Tuesday, May 20. Justice Azeez stated that VeryDarkMan’s application had no valid basis. As a result, he ordered the influencer to pay N200,000 in legal costs—N100,000 to each of the claimants, Femi and Falz.

The judge further directed VeryDarkMan to file his formal defence without delay.

This case came about because of a video that VeryDarkMan posted on his Instagram account (@verydarkblackman) on September 24, 2024. The Falanas believe the video was damaging and harmful to their reputation. They are each demanding N500 million in compensation, making the total claim N1 billion.

During the court session, Femi Falana was represented by lawyers Ernest Olawanle and Femi Akinyemi. His son Falz was present at the hearing. VeryDarkMan did not attend but had his lawyer, Marvin Omorogbe, represent him.

The Falanas accuse VeryDarkMan of making false and offensive statements in the video. They argue that the remarks hurt their image and reputation in public.

They are now asking the court to officially label the video as defamatory. They also want a permanent order that would prevent VeryDarkMan and anyone connected to him from making or sharing similar content in the future.