Transgender Idris Okuneye a.k.a Bobrisky has 12 hours to make a public apology and withdraw statements credited to him roping in Human rights activist and lawyer, Femi Falana, and his rapper son, Folarin Falana, a.k.a Falz, in a bribery scheme.
In audio records posted online by Martins Otse a.k.a VeryDarkMan the voice of Bobrisky could be heard claiming to have paid N15m to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to drop money laundering charges against him. Bobrisky also claimed that he had spoken with Falz, requesting his assistance in persuading his father (Falana) to help secure a presidential pardon, which allegedly cost N10 million. Mr. Falana and Falz denied the allegations.
In a letter dated 14 October 2024, issued by Falana’s legal representatives, Olorunfemi Akinyemi and Taiwo E. Olawanle, Bobrisky was accused of making false and defamatory statements about Falana and his son’s involvement in the alleged bribery and pardon.
The legal team described Bobrisky’s claims as entirely unfounded and damaging to Falana’s reputation. They demanded a full retraction and apology, to be published on all platforms where the statements were shared.
The letter read, “We are Counsel to Mr. Femi Falana SAN and Mr. Folarin Falana aka Falz (hereinafter referred to as ‘our clients’), on whose behalf we write this letter regarding your slanderous statements against them.
“We have confirmed that you took advantage of your recent imprisonment to extort money from a group of artists and other members of the public.
“You will recall that on 4 May 2024, you called Mr. Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, and requested N3,000,000 (Three Million Naira) to secure special treatment at Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
“Although Falz refused your request, you falsely claimed in a video that he told you his father, our client, had agreed to write a letter of pardon for you. You also stated that our client had spoken with you and that N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) was required to bribe officials to process your pardon.”
The letter continued, “In another video, you claimed to have paid N5,000,000 (Five Million Naira) upfront to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria to secure a Federal Government pardon over charges filed against you by the EFCC. You further alleged that the Senior Advocate initially requested N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) for his legal services but, due to your frozen account, you could not raise the full amount.”
Falana’s legal team clarified that no such conversation had ever taken place and that Bobrisky’s allegations were aimed at extorting money from the public while tarnishing Falana’s professional reputation.
“In fact, you have published a list of individuals who believed your fabricated story and contributed millions of naira, supposedly to pay our client to write a letter of pardon and bribe public officers on your behalf.
“Your decision to involve our client in your criminal activities was purely a figment of your imagination.
“Contrary to your baseless claims, you never instructed our client to write a letter of pardon for you,” the letter further stated.
