Nigerian crossdresser and social media influencer, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, has taken legal action against Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, demanding ₦1 billion in damages over allegations of defamation stemming from an audio clip.

Naija News reports that the dispute began when an audio clip released by VeryDarkMan went viral, in which Bobrisky was accused of paying ₦15 million to unnamed Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives to dismiss money laundering charges.

The audio clip further alleged that he had bribed the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) to avoid serving time in prison.

Bobrisky, however, denied the allegations, calling the audio “fake” and maintaining that he had not paid any bribe. He stated, “I served my term in prison.”

Bobrisky’s legal team claims the audio was artificially generated and falsely implicated him in inappropriate relationships with prominent figures, including politicians and law enforcement officers.

Bobrisky shared the details of the lawsuit on his Instagram page on Sunday. His legal representatives accused VeryDarkMan of exploiting Bobrisky’s public image for personal gain, making baseless allegations without any credible proof.

The lawsuit asserts that VeryDarkMan maliciously released an AI-generated audio recording that falsely linked Bobrisky to high-ranking figures in politics and law enforcement, suggesting inappropriate relationships.

The suit further criticized VeryDarkMan for his careless dissemination of harmful content, ignoring Bobrisky’s mental health, privacy, and fundamental rights.

Bobrisky’s legal team has called on VeryDarkMan to immediately remove the audio clip, issue a public apology in two national newspapers, and create a video apology to be posted on all social media platforms.

The lawsuit also demands that VeryDarkMan stop sharing defamatory content about Bobrisky and pay ₦1 billion in damages within 24 hours.

In a formal statement, Bobrisky’s legal representatives said, “Our client has informed us that in your quest for social media stardom, you have continued to exploit his name, personality, and social media influence to create media buzz for your personal gains.

“Recently, you alleged in one of your trending videos on various social media platforms that various Deputy Inspectors General of the Nigeria Police Force, lawmakers, senators, and politicians generally were in the habit of having sexual intercourse with our client, yet you have not provided any proof of these claims to date.

“You have persisted in making reckless and unfounded statements, including hearsay that you cannot prove against our client, disregarding his mental health, general wellbeing, right to privacy, right to freedom of thought, right to life, and other fundamental constitutional rights.

“One would expect that after such attempts against our client, you would exercise some level of caution or restraint, considering the safety and wellbeing of our client. However, your goals are personal and self-serving, and thus you have made it a lifelong task to fulfil them by any means, regardless of the negative effects on our client and others caught in your unfounded attacks.

“Our client has become aware that you recently published an AI-generated audio call, claiming it was between an unnamed individual and our client. For the record, our client has never had any audio conversation with this individual, and your act of defamation and blackmail should be retracted within 24 hours of the service of this letter of demand via social media platforms.

“Your AI-generated audio conversation is the result of you and any other individuals who collaborated with you to create it. Therefore, we warn you that you must remove our client’s name from the said recording or anything that may connect our client to the alleged recording. For the record, our client had no knowledge of such a telephone conversation with you or anyone else.

“Our client has suffered immense damage since the publication of the defamatory content by you, leading to several damaging reviews of his persona, brand, and everything he holds dear. This is akin to what you threatened in a video published on Tuesday, 24th September 2024, where you stated that if our client failed to pay the demanded sum, you would publish a damaging video, which would cause him to lose friends. You have not only created a defamatory recording to put our client in a bad light for your purposes of blackmail but, astonishingly, you continued to publish false information about our client even after payment, revealing your ulterior motives against him.

“Our client, by this letter, demands strict proof regarding the authenticity of the said audio recording, affirming that he never had a phone conversation with you or anyone you represent. It is shocking that you would publish an AI-generated audio recording to damage our client’s social standing and place his life in jeopardy solely for your selfish personal goals.

“You and anyone collaborating with you owe the authorities, security agencies, and respected legal and human rights advocates an explanation regarding how you created the audio recording and the defamatory words used, including your confident defamatory commentary before and after the AI audio recording.

“For the record, our client has not alleged any agency or person of bribery or wrongdoing; thus, the burden lies with you to prove your allegations to the authorities and the respected personalities you have defamed. It is laughable that anyone would believe your AI audio recording stating otherwise, given that our client served his prison time within a correctional facility in Lagos State.

“As it relates to our client, we demand that you immediately remove the said AI-generated audio recording published as a video by you, along with your defamatory commentary voiceover, which you recklessly and dangerously attributed to our client. None of this material is a product of our client; thus, any name, description, or attribution to our client in the process of publishing the said defamatory material is false.

“We, therefore, demand, on behalf of our client, a written apology published in two national daily newspapers, a video recording of your apology to our client shared on all your social media platforms, a commitment to refrain from reporting or publishing defamatory content against our client, and the payment of ₦1,000,000,000 in damages within 24 hours of this letter via social media or any other means.

“Take notice: should you fail to take advantage of the alternative dispute resolution mechanism introduced in paragraphs 10 and 11 of this demand notice, we shall seek legal redress in a court of competent jurisdiction immediately without any further notice to you. We hope this matter can be resolved within the next 24 hours.”

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