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In this recording, Idris Okuneye, widely recognized as Bobrisky, alleged that following his conviction and sentencing for the misuse of naira notes in April, his godfather, in conjunction with the Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, facilitated his serving of a six-month sentence in a private residence.
Additionally, human rights attorney Femi Falana (SAN) has refuted any connection to Bobrisky and has given VeryDarkMan a 24-hour deadline to retract his claims linking Falana to Bobrisky.
“We wish to state, without any fear of contradiction, that our client (Falana) has never, in his life, spoken to Brobrisky on his alleged pardon or on any matter whatsoever,” Falana’s lawyer stated in their letter to VeryDarkMan demanding a retraction and an apology.
In an audio recording shared online by VeryDarkMan, a voice, purportedly belonging to Bobrisky, was heard stating: “There’s jealousy involved. When I got to court, I admitted guilt, hoping for either a fine or community service. However, the court sentenced me. On my way to prison, my godfather called and assured me I wouldn’t enter prison. He told me not to worry and said he would arrange an apartment near the prison and speak to the Comptroller General of Prisons in Abuja.
“After they spoke, I was taken to an apartment where I was told not to come out until I finished my sentence. They informed the person at the apartment that their boss instructed them to keep me there and not let me leave. The person said he’d collect N10m, so I had to call Elele again. Elele gave me N2m because there was no one else to call.”
In the same viral voice note, Bobrisky purportedly asserted that he bribed officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission with N15 million to have money laundering charges against him dismissed, leaving only the charges related to naira abuse, for which he was ultimately convicted and sentenced.
The voice note also suggested that he was approached by the rapper Falz and his human rights lawyer father, Falana, who offered to assist him in seeking a pardon from the Federal Government for a fee of N10 million.
In response to the ongoing controversy, the interior minister, through his media aide Alao Babatunde, issued a statement on Wednesday calling for an immediate investigation, emphasizing that any form of indiscipline would not be tolerated during his tenure.
“The Minister of Interior has directed an unconditional and comprehensive investigation into the allegations of bribery and corruption within the Nigerian Correctional Service.
“Tunji-Ojo unequivocally condemned the alleged reprehensible behaviour, emphasising that any form of indiscipline, unprofessionalism, or corruption will be met with zero tolerance and severe consequences within the paramilitary services under the ministry’s purview.
“The ministry will not tolerate any compromise on its core values of integrity, transparency, and accountability. We will leave no stone unturned in rooting out corruption and ensuring that those found culpable face the full wrath of the law,” Alao said in the statement.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Magdalene Ajani, will head the team assigned to investigate the allegations, he added.
He said, “The minister has called for a special investigative team, headed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, to probe these allegations and submit a comprehensive report.
“The minister reassures the public that the investigation will be rigorous, transparent, and impartial, and that appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken against any personnel found guilty.”
Falana has sent a pre-action letter to VeryDarkMan, the individual responsible for circulating the vote note, requesting a retraction of the purportedly defamatory remarks made against him.
In a correspondence drafted on behalf of Falana by Taiwo Olawanle from Falana and Falana Chambers, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) has given the social media influencer a 24-hour period to retract the statement and issue an apology, or he will be subject to legal proceedings.
The letter states in part: “We represent Mr. Femi Falana SAN (hereinafter referred to as 'our client'), and we are writing this letter concerning your publication and distribution of defamatory statements directed at him.”
“Your publication of September 25, 2024, on your Instagram page captioned ‘In everything and everyone that is mentioned here, I will be disappointed if truly FALZ and his father are involved in this whole Bobrisky issue…’ refers.
“In publishing the statement on several online platforms, you informed your large viewership that Mr. Femi Falana ‘spoke to Bobrisky in order to divert justice’.
“Your publication contained multiple allegations and that you did not expect Mr Femi Falana, who was a lawyer to the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, whom everyone respects, to ‘engage in something like this?’.
“Your publication further alleged that Mr Femi Falana SAN wanted to get a presidential pardon for Bobrisky for the sum of N10,000,000.00.
“As if that was not enough, you proceeded to state as follows: ‘I don’t even believe that Femi Falana would bring himself down to this level, the whole Femi Falana would engage himself with something like this’… ‘The man started the pardon and he said he wanted to send it to the Minister of Justice in Abuja, who will send it to the President to approve it but you know Nigeria with corruption.’
“Femi FALANA collected N10,000,000 in order to wipe his name off record. These are people I respected. These are people I look up to…it is obvious that Nigeria will not go anywhere soon.”
The correspondence indicated that the social media post by VeryDarkMan depicted Falana unfavorably, asserting that the implications and insinuations within the false, misleading, and defamatory remarks suggest that Mr. Femi Falana is dishonest and that his efforts to combat injustice and corruption in Nigeria and across Africa are merely a facade.
“Mr Femi Falana spoke to Bobrisky to divert justice (sic) with a view to perverting justice for financial gains and material benefits.
“Mr. Femi Falana solicited a brief from Bobrisky and thereby contravened the Legal Practitioner Rules of Professional Conduct.
“Mr Femi Falana has participated in a device that constitutes subterfuge in concert with others who you also characterised as corrupt.”
“Mr Falana’s fight against injustice is inconsistent with his publicly acclaimed and validated record of competence, honesty and integrity.”
“Mr Falana, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has engaged in conduct that is incompatible with his professional role and duty as a legal practitioner in Nigeria.”
The chamber characterized VeryDarkMan's publication as “a vicious, wicked and reckless ploy to impugn the reputation of our client and lower him in the estimation of right-thinking members of the public.”
The statement indicated that the social media influencer possessed the fundamental right to freedom of expression as protected by the Nigerian Constitution, “you are duty bound to ensure that what you publish and disseminate is credible and factual in every material particular. In other words, you have no right under the law to damage the reputation of any citizen by spreading baseless allegations based on sheer falsehood.”
The lawyers, therefore, “demand immediate retraction of the offensive and derogatory publication as well as an apology prominently published in all the platforms to which you have disseminated it without any justification whatsoever.”
“Be advised that if we do not receive your formal retraction and apology as demanded within 24 hours of the receipt hereof, we shall proceed with our client’s instructions to seek appropriate legal remedies, including monetary damages, against you for your incendiary publication and dissemination of defamatory statements,” they stated.