Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, and his son, Folarin, have demanded that popular cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky, retract defamatory statements linking them to an alleged N10 million bribe. They have also called for a public apology on all platforms that carried the false claims.
In a letter dated October 14, 2024, written by their legal team, Olorunfemi Akinyemi and Taiwo Olawanle, the Falanas gave Bobrisky a 12-hour deadline from receipt of the letter to issue the retraction and apology. Failure to comply will result in legal action, including claims for monetary damages, over the baseless accusations.
The letter stated: “We have confirmed that you exploited your recent imprisonment to extort money from artists and other members of the public. On May 4, 2024, you contacted Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, asking him for N3 million to secure special treatment at Kirikiri Correctional Centre. Even though Falz refused, you falsely claimed in a video that his father, our client, had agreed to write a letter of pardon for you and that N10 million would be needed to bribe officials for this favor.”
The letter further mentioned that Bobrisky had falsely alleged he paid N5 million upfront to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria to secure a government pardon for charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The Falanas’ letter emphasized that these allegations were fabricated to enrich Bobrisky at their expense, tarnishing Femi Falana’s reputation both locally and internationally.
"You have made these defamatory statements recklessly, knowing that you never contacted our client to write a letter of pardon on your behalf," the letter continued. "Our client has obtained pardon for over 300 Nigerians on a pro bono basis, but your false claims have caused serious damage to his reputation."
The letter concluded with a stern warning that if Bobrisky fails to retract his statements and issue an apology within the stipulated time, legal proceedings will be initiated against him for the defamatory remarks.
