An Ikeja High Court has set January 23 for the hearing of a defamation case filed by human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) and his son, musician and activist Falz, against online activist Vincent Otse, known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).
During Thursday’s session, the claimants’ lawyer, Muiz Banire (SAN), informed the court that all relevant documents had been filed and served. However, Judge Matthias Dawodu noted the originating process was missing from the court’s records. Banire requested an adjournment to complete the administrative filings, which was granted by the judge.
Counsel for VDM, Marvin Omorogbe, pointed out that there was no valid writ before the court, asking for the case to be struck out. He argued that the filed writ was invalid, as it shared the same suit number as previous preemptive remedy proceedings.
In response, Justice Dawodu ruled that a fresh writ should be filed with a new suit number and adjourned the matter until January 23, 2025, for the hearing of preliminary objections.
Additionally, the court adjourned a related case between Falz and VDM, while also ruling on October 14 for VeryDarkMan to remove a defamatory video and an audio recording involving cross-dresser Bobrisky, which made unverified claims about the Falanas.
The case will continue in January 2025.
