Ahead of the court hearing for a defamation lawsuit against him, the controversial social media figure VeryDarkMan has refuted allegations of defaming human rights attorney Femi Falana and his son, rapper Falz.

In September, VDM released a leaked audio recording in which crossdresser Bobrisky made claims implicating Falz and his father. The audio suggested that while Bobrisky was incarcerated at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre, Falz and his father allegedly approached him to arrange a “presidential pardon” for a sum of N10 million.

Both Falana and Falz have denied these allegations and demanded that VeryDarkMan apologize and retract his statements, labeling them as “defamatory,” within a 24-hour timeframe.

After VDM did not comply with the request, the Lagos State High Court instructed him to remove the alleged defamatory content in advance of the main hearing scheduled at the Ikeja High Court in Lagos on Thursday, November 14, 2024.

In a recent video shared on his Instagram account, VDM maintained his stance against issuing an apology, asserting that his intention in posting the video was to highlight corruption in Nigeria and encouraged the Falanas to clear their names.

He said: “I just arrived in Lagos for the Femi Falana case against me at the Ikeja High Court by 9:00 AM. I came to Lagos ahead of that. As you all know, they (Falana and Falz) said I defamed them, but for me, it’s corruption that I exposed. I see things that don’t make sense, like someone going to prison and not serving jail term or the EFCC, which is expected to catch people involved in corruption, collecting money.

“That’s what I exposed. But sadly, some people, Falana and Falz, whose names were mentioned, said I should have informed them before posting such things about them. They asked me to apologize. I don’t see anything wrong with what I did, so I’m not apologizing to anybody. They should clear their name.

“I have tried to respect them, but it didn’t work because I went to prostrate for Falana, yet they insisted that I must go and apologize. Now it is time for the court hearing, and heaven won’t fall. Tomorrow, if I hear their names again, I will post it. I don’t fear anybody’s father. I don’t want a country where, when it is someone’s time, we should keep quiet.”