A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja on Tuesday struck out the defamation suit filed against blogger Martins Otse, also known as Verydarkblackman (VDM).
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana; and his son, Folarin popularly known as Falz; had filed the defamation suit against VDM following the comments and video he published on September 24, 2024 on his social media handles and pages.
The Falanas had dragged the defendant before the court in separate suits, claiming N500 million each as damages over a video he posted on his social media platforms alleging that they collected N10 million from Idris Okuneye, a.k.a Bobrisky, to pervert the cause of justice.
COMBO PHOTO of VeryDarkMan (L) and Bobrisky (R)
In their suits, the father and son submitted that the defendant knew all his comments were unverified and not true, yet he proceeded to publish same to injure their reputation recklessly.
READ ALSO: Refund ₦300m Rivers Money Now, Adegboruwa Tells NBA
They also stated that the alleged defamatory publication is still trending on the defendants online handles and pages and as such, the injury to their reputation continues as long as the publication remains online.
When the case was called on Tuesday, Falana, his son, and VDM were absent in court.
However, counsel for the respondent, Niyi Alagbe, holding brief for Marvin Omorogbe, informed the court that he had earlier filed an application for stay of proceeding before Justice Fimisola Azeez.
Counsel for the Falanas, Omotayo Olatunbosun, in his response, informed the court that he received the said application on Monday about 4:15 p.m.
Olatunbosun argued that the matter of the day was the preliminary objection, which he said was ripe for hearing and that the new application was meant to prolong matters.
Olatunbosun urged the judge to proceed with the business of the day.
Justice Matthias Dawodu said the application in question was not in the file and wondered why he was being troubled with the case when the substantive suit was before another court.
Dawodu struck out the suit and held that insistence on going ahead with the suit would be an academic exercise since the substantive suit was before another judge.
French group Hermes overtook LVMH as the world’s most valuable luxury company on Tuesday after shares in the Louis Vuitton maker tumbled following weaker-than-expected quarterly sales.
The market capitalisation of Hermes reached 248.6 billion euros ($280.5 billion) at the close of trading in Paris, topping LVMH’s 244.4 billion euros.
LVMH shares sank 7.8 percent a day after the group owned by Europe’s wealthiest man, Bernard Arnault, reported a two percent drop in first quarter sales to 20.3 billion euros.
The producer of Louis Vuitton bags and Dom Perignon champagne reported a slight decline in US sales, where it generates a quarter of its revenue.
Nigerian music star, Peter Okoye, also known as Mr P, has spoken again about the alleged betrayal and financial misappropriation by his elder brother and former manager, Jude Okoye, saying it took him over two decades to speak up — and the delay nearly cost him everything.
Just hours after testifying before the Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday, Mr P, in an X statement, shared a deeply personal post about enduring years of silence under the guise of family loyalty.
“Don’t let ‘family’ be the reason you’re drowning in silence. I did — for over 20 years plus. And it almost cost me everything,” Peter wrote. “But now I know better — love doesn’t manipulate, loyalty doesn’t betray, and family does not steal from you. Family that steals and breaks you isn’t family at all.”
The 43-year-old singer continued, “A real family doesn’t drain you, shame you, discriminate against you, or ignore your pain. My sanity matters. My mental health is a priority. If it costs my mental health, then it’s too expensive.”
Don’t let ‘family’ be the reason you’re drowning in silence. I did — for over 20 years plus. And it almost cost me everything. But now I know better — love doesn’t manipulate, loyalty doesn’t betray, and family does not steal from you. Family that steals and breaks you isn’t…
P-Square Royalties, Tampered Records
Jude, Peter, and Paul Okoye
On Monday, at the Federal High Court in Lagos, Peter alleged that Jude had covertly registered Northside Music Limited to collect and control digital royalties from their group, P-Square, without the knowledge or consent of its members.
Peter, appearing before Justice Alexander Owoeye, said he only discovered the company while investigating royalty discrepancies years after the group’s initial split in 2017. He revealed that the company was registered under Jude’s name and his wife’s — with her holding 80% ownership.
“All our earnings from P-Square were funnelled into accounts controlled solely by Jude,” Peter claimed. “From 2017 to 2021, when we were apart, I had no access to anything. Jude was the only signatory,” he added.
READ ALSO: [Alleged N1.3bn Fraud:] P-Square’s Peter Testifies In Case Against Brother
The singer further alleged that backend royalty data had been manipulated, significantly reducing the value of their catalogue. “What used to bring in $8,000 per month was now reduced to about $500. When I asked for financial records, I was told my money was with people in South Africa,” he stated.
According to him, this lack of transparency cost them not just revenue but also business opportunities. “I wasn’t even asking for the money — just access to our data,” Peter explained.
Suspicious of foul play, he consulted lawyer Festus Keyamo, SAN (now Aviation Minister), who suggested a revenue-sharing formula. When that failed, he hired another lawyer, Mr Afolabi, and submitted a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Northside Music, Property Dealings
One of the charges levelled against Jude and Northside Music Ltd. is the alleged purchase of an Ikoyi property worth ₦850 million, using funds suspected to be proceeds of crime — a violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Another charge accuses Jude of converting over $1 million through a Bureau De Change, allegedly using Nigerian bank accounts to conceal the origin of the funds. The EFCC claims that Jude’s actions show a pattern of deliberate financial concealment. He has pleaded not guilty to all seven charges.
Peter said he discovered more “red flags” when potential buyers expressed interest in acquiring P-Square’s music catalogue in 2022. The resulting checks revealed tampered backend data, previously hidden transactions, and dual aggregator connections — both for P-Square and Jude’s company.
Peter is expected to be cross-examined when the trial continues on 4 June.
Background
Jude’s legal troubles began after his younger brother, Peter, filed a petition with the EFCC accusing him of mismanaging digital royalties from their former music group, P-Square.
On 26 February, the EFCC alleged that Jude had dishonestly converted funds meant for Peter, including large sums in dollars and pounds from companies like Lex Records Limited, Kobalt Music, and Mtech Limited. These payments were said to be royalties earned from P-Square’s digital music catalogue.
Jude is now standing trial alongside his company, Northside Music Limited, on a seven-count charge of money laundering. One of the charges alleges that in 2022, he and his company used money suspected to be from illegal sources to purchase a luxury property in Ikoyi, Lagos, worth ₦850 million. The charge states that Jude “did directly acquire a landed property known as No 5, Tony Eromosele Street, Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos… which money you knew or reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful act.”
Another charge accuses him of converting $1,019,762.87 through a Bureau De Change and transferring the funds into several Nigerian bank accounts in an effort to hide their true origin. According to the EFCC, this was done “with the aim of disguising or concealing the illicit origin of the funds.”
The EFCC maintains that these actions violate the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Jude has denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty.
Nigerian music star, Peter Okoye, also known as Mr P, has spoken again about the alleged betrayal and financial misappropriation by his elder brother and former manager, Jude Okoye, saying it took him over two decades to speak up — and the delay nearly cost him everything.
Just hours after testifying before the Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday, Mr P, in an X statement, shared a deeply personal post about enduring years of silence under the guise of family loyalty.
“Don’t let ‘family’ be the reason you’re drowning in silence. I did — for over 20 years plus. And it almost cost me everything,” Peter wrote. “But now I know better — love doesn’t manipulate, loyalty doesn’t betray, and family does not steal from you. Family that steals and breaks you isn’t family at all.”
The 43-year-old singer continued, “A real family doesn’t drain you, shame you, discriminate against you, or ignore your pain. My sanity matters. My mental health is a priority. If it costs my mental health, then it’s too expensive.”
Don’t let ‘family’ be the reason you’re drowning in silence. I did — for over 20 years plus. And it almost cost me everything. But now I know better — love doesn’t manipulate, loyalty doesn’t betray, and family does not steal from you. Family that steals and breaks you isn’t…
P-Square Royalties, Tampered Records
Jude, Peter, and Paul Okoye
On Monday, at the Federal High Court in Lagos, Peter alleged that Jude had covertly registered Northside Music Limited to collect and control digital royalties from their group, P-Square, without the knowledge or consent of its members.
Peter, appearing before Justice Alexander Owoeye, said he only discovered the company while investigating royalty discrepancies years after the group’s initial split in 2017. He revealed that the company was registered under Jude’s name and his wife’s — with her holding 80% ownership.
“All our earnings from P-Square were funnelled into accounts controlled solely by Jude,” Peter claimed. “From 2017 to 2021, when we were apart, I had no access to anything. Jude was the only signatory,” he added.
READ ALSO: [Alleged N1.3bn Fraud:] P-Square’s Peter Testifies In Case Against Brother
The singer further alleged that backend royalty data had been manipulated, significantly reducing the value of their catalogue. “What used to bring in $8,000 per month was now reduced to about $500. When I asked for financial records, I was told my money was with people in South Africa,” he stated.
According to him, this lack of transparency cost them not just revenue but also business opportunities. “I wasn’t even asking for the money — just access to our data,” Peter explained.
Suspicious of foul play, he consulted lawyer Festus Keyamo, SAN (now Aviation Minister), who suggested a revenue-sharing formula. When that failed, he hired another lawyer, Mr Afolabi, and submitted a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Northside Music, Property Dealings
One of the charges levelled against Jude and Northside Music Ltd. is the alleged purchase of an Ikoyi property worth ₦850 million, using funds suspected to be proceeds of crime — a violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Another charge accuses Jude of converting over $1 million through a Bureau De Change, allegedly using Nigerian bank accounts to conceal the origin of the funds. The EFCC claims that Jude’s actions show a pattern of deliberate financial concealment. He has pleaded not guilty to all seven charges.
Peter said he discovered more “red flags” when potential buyers expressed interest in acquiring P-Square’s music catalogue in 2022. The resulting checks revealed tampered backend data, previously hidden transactions, and dual aggregator connections — both for P-Square and Jude’s company.
Peter is expected to be cross-examined when the trial continues on 4 June.
Background
Jude’s legal troubles began after his younger brother, Peter, filed a petition with the EFCC accusing him of mismanaging digital royalties from their former music group, P-Square.
On 26 February, the EFCC alleged that Jude had dishonestly converted funds meant for Peter, including large sums in dollars and pounds from companies like Lex Records Limited, Kobalt Music, and Mtech Limited. These payments were said to be royalties earned from P-Square’s digital music catalogue.
Jude is now standing trial alongside his company, Northside Music Limited, on a seven-count charge of money laundering. One of the charges alleges that in 2022, he and his company used money suspected to be from illegal sources to purchase a luxury property in Ikoyi, Lagos, worth ₦850 million. The charge states that Jude “did directly acquire a landed property known as No 5, Tony Eromosele Street, Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos… which money you knew or reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful act.”
Another charge accuses him of converting $1,019,762.87 through a Bureau De Change and transferring the funds into several Nigerian bank accounts in an effort to hide their true origin. According to the EFCC, this was done “with the aim of disguising or concealing the illicit origin of the funds.”
The EFCC maintains that these actions violate the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Jude has denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty.
Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s retrial on rape and sex assault charges started Tuesday, forcing survivors who helped fire up the “#MeToo” movement to prepare to testify against him once more.
Weinstein’s 2020 conviction by a jury was overturned last year by an appeals court that ruled the way witnesses were handled in the original New York trial was unlawful.
The voiding of the jury’s verdict by the New York Court of Appeals was a setback to survivors of the #MeToo movement against sexual violence and the promotion of justice for survivors.
READ ALSO: Anguish, Weeping As Plateau Community Buries 51 Killed In Fresh Attack
Weinstein was wheeled in to court, and wore a dark blue suit and adjusted his tie as he took his seat at the defense table while the trial lawyers spoke to the judge.
The onetime Miramax studio boss was charged with the sexual assault of former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006, the rape of aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013, and a new count for an alleged sexual assault in 2006 at a hotel in Manhattan.
Haleyi and Mann testified in the earlier trial, sharing graphic testimony of their interactions with Weinstein.
Lindsay Goldbrum, a lawyer for the unnamed woman who brought the new complaint, told reporters outside court that “she had the honor of representing an incredible woman.”
“They are going to ensure Weinstein is held accountable for his heinous crimes against women,” she said.
“The fact they are going to testify again is testimony to their bravery.”
Jury selection in the new trial, which overall is expected to last up to six weeks in a Manhattan criminal court, began Tuesday and could take until next week.
Weinstein, 73, said he hopes the case will be judged with “fresh eyes,” more than seven years after investigations by the New York Times and the New Yorker led to his spectacular downfall and a global backlash against predatory abusers.
Weinstein is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted on separate charges in California in 2023 for raping and assaulting a European actor a decade prior.
‘Fry Harvey’?
The producer of a string of box office hits like “Sex, Lies and Videotape,” “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love,” Weinstein has appeared frail and gaunt at recent courtroom hearings ahead of the trial.
“It’ll be very, very different because of the attitude of New York City, New York state and, I think, the overall country,” said his lawyer Arthur Aidala.
“Five years ago, when you guys were here, there were protests. There were people chanting: ‘Fry Harvey, he’s a rapist’… I think that, overall, has died down,” he said, adding that he hoped jurors would try the case on its merits.
Aidala separately told Fox 5 Monday that Weinstein had several ailments, including a “horrible infection in his mouth, his throat — and he’s struggling to speak, and when you’re about to go on trial you need to communicate with your lawyer.”
Weinstein has never acknowledged any wrongdoing and has always maintained that the encounters were consensual.
Accusers describe the movie mogul as a predator who used his perch atop the cinema industry to pressure talent and assistants for sexual favors, often in hotel rooms.
Since his downfall, Weinstein has been accused of harassment, sexual assault or rape by more than 80 women, including actors Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lupita Nyong’o and Ashley Judd.
In 2020, a jury of New Yorkers found Weinstein guilty of two out of five charges — the sexual assault of Haleyi and the rape of Mann.
But the conviction and the 23-year prison sentence were overturned in April 2024.
In a hotly debated four-to-three decision, New York’s appeals court ruled that jurors should not have heard testimonies of victims about sexual assaults for which Harvey Weinstein was not indicted.
The three survivors of Weinstein’s alleged crimes are expected to testify once again.
“I’m going on jury duty — I hope I don’t get that (trial),” said a woman smoking a cigarette outside the courthouse.
Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s retrial on rape and sex assault charges started Tuesday, forcing survivors who helped fire up the “#MeToo” movement to prepare to testify against him once more.
Weinstein’s 2020 conviction by a jury was overturned last year by an appeals court that ruled the way witnesses were handled in the original New York trial was unlawful.
The voiding of the jury’s verdict by the New York Court of Appeals was a setback to survivors of the #MeToo movement against sexual violence and the promotion of justice for survivors.
READ ALSO: Anguish, Weeping As Plateau Community Buries 51 Killed In Fresh Attack
Weinstein was wheeled in to court, and wore a dark blue suit and adjusted his tie as he took his seat at the defense table while the trial lawyers spoke to the judge.
The onetime Miramax studio boss was charged with the sexual assault of former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006, the rape of aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013, and a new count for an alleged sexual assault in 2006 at a hotel in Manhattan.
Haleyi and Mann testified in the earlier trial, sharing graphic testimony of their interactions with Weinstein.
Lindsay Goldbrum, a lawyer for the unnamed woman who brought the new complaint, told reporters outside court that “she had the honor of representing an incredible woman.”
“They are going to ensure Weinstein is held accountable for his heinous crimes against women,” she said.
“The fact they are going to testify again is testimony to their bravery.”
Jury selection in the new trial, which overall is expected to last up to six weeks in a Manhattan criminal court, began Tuesday and could take until next week.
Weinstein, 73, said he hopes the case will be judged with “fresh eyes,” more than seven years after investigations by the New York Times and the New Yorker led to his spectacular downfall and a global backlash against predatory abusers.
Weinstein is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted on separate charges in California in 2023 for raping and assaulting a European actor a decade prior.
‘Fry Harvey’?
The producer of a string of box office hits like “Sex, Lies and Videotape,” “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love,” Weinstein has appeared frail and gaunt at recent courtroom hearings ahead of the trial.
“It’ll be very, very different because of the attitude of New York City, New York state and, I think, the overall country,” said his lawyer Arthur Aidala.
“Five years ago, when you guys were here, there were protests. There were people chanting: ‘Fry Harvey, he’s a rapist’… I think that, overall, has died down,” he said, adding that he hoped jurors would try the case on its merits.
Aidala separately told Fox 5 Monday that Weinstein had several ailments, including a “horrible infection in his mouth, his throat — and he’s struggling to speak, and when you’re about to go on trial you need to communicate with your lawyer.”
Weinstein has never acknowledged any wrongdoing and has always maintained that the encounters were consensual.
Accusers describe the movie mogul as a predator who used his perch atop the cinema industry to pressure talent and assistants for sexual favors, often in hotel rooms.
Since his downfall, Weinstein has been accused of harassment, sexual assault or rape by more than 80 women, including actors Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lupita Nyong’o and Ashley Judd.
In 2020, a jury of New Yorkers found Weinstein guilty of two out of five charges — the sexual assault of Haleyi and the rape of Mann.
But the conviction and the 23-year prison sentence were overturned in April 2024.
In a hotly debated four-to-three decision, New York’s appeals court ruled that jurors should not have heard testimonies of victims about sexual assaults for which Harvey Weinstein was not indicted.
The three survivors of Weinstein’s alleged crimes are expected to testify once again.
“I’m going on jury duty — I hope I don’t get that (trial),” said a woman smoking a cigarette outside the courthouse.
