Category Nigeria News

A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has ordered a social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM) to pay the sum of ₦200, 000 as fine after dismissing his preliminary objections to the ₦1 billion defamation suit instituted against him by human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, and his son, music artiste Folarin Falana, also known as Falz.

Justice Fimisola Azeez held that the applications lacked merit and consequently awarded a total cost of ₦200, 000 against VDM — ₦100, 000 each in favour of Femi and Folarin Falana. The judge also directed the defendant to immediately file his defence in both suits.

The Falanas are seeking redress over a video published by VDM on his Instagram page (@verydarkblackman) on September 24, 2024.

According to the claimants, the video was defamatory and injurious to their reputation, and they are each claiming ₦500 million in damages, bringing the total claim to ₦1 billion.

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At the hearing, Femi Falana was represented by his lawyers, Ernest Olawanle and Femi Akinyemi, while his son, Folarin, was present in court. VDM was absent but was represented by his counsel, Marvin Omorogbe.

In their suits, the claimants alleged that VDM made libellous, scandalous, and defamatory remarks targeting them in his video. They are asking the court to declare the publication as defamatory and to issue a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his agents, or any associates from making or distributing similar statements in the future.

They further requested an order compelling VDM to publish a public apology on all his social media platforms and in a national newspaper.

VDM, in response, had filed a preliminary objection seeking to dismiss the suits for lack of jurisdiction. He argued that the Lagos High Court did not have the authority to entertain the matter, claiming the alleged offences were committed outside its jurisdiction.

However, the claimants filed a counter-affidavit along with a written address, urging the court to reject the objection.

Justice Azeez ruled in their favour, dismissed VDM’s application, and ordered him to respond to the substantive defamation claims.

The judge then adjourned the case to July 8 for mention and to allow the defendant to file his statement of defence.

This development follows an earlier ruling by Justice Mathias Dawodu of another Lagos State High Court, who on April 15, 2025, struck out a related pre-emptive action filed by the claimants. Justice Dawodu held that the matter had become academic due to the pendency of the substantive defamation suit before Justice Azeez.

On October 14, 2024, the Falanas had secured an initial pre-emptive order, prompting them to file a substantive suit. VDM responded with another preliminary objection, alleging multiplicity of actions and seeking a stay of proceedings. Justice Dawodu determined, however, that the application had no legal justification because the actual issue was already being litigated in a competent court.

Justice Dawodu stated in his decision to reject the preliminary objection that “the matter cannot no longer stand because it has no legs, and that supporting the case amounts to a waste of time.”

Femi Falana SAN, the head of Zinox Technologies, Leo Stan Ekeh, and other members of the Cabinet’s Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), has requested that the fiat be prosecuted.

The AGF has withdrawn such fiat after the first in a case that has lasted for 13 years and involved a deal between an Enugu State indigene, Benjamin Joseph, an Enugu state resident, and Technology Distributions Limited regarding the supply of computers to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

It was claimed that Zinox and its promoter, Ekeh, had no bearing in the project, in which Technology Distributions fully extended credit to COCL.
Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the AGF’s Director of Public Prosecutions, M. B. Abubakar, on behalf of the AGF and the Minister of Justice, signed a letter dated May 2, 2025, which was addressed to the Principal Partner, Falana and Falana Chambers. in the name of justice, v. Leo Stan and 12 others.

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He made the point that he should not have received the fiat in the first place.

In response to the letter’s headline, “Withdrawal of Authorisation Under Section 174 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended,” it read, “I am directed to write in reference to the above caption and inform you that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, in the exercise of the power that was previously granted to you by section 174 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended and Section 106 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, has withdrawn the fi

In order to protect justice, you are therefore requested to withdraw Charge No. FCT/HC/CR/985/2024 between FRN v. Leo Stan Ekeh and 12 others.
The Director, Public Prosecutions of the Federation, in a letter dated May 6, 2025, conveyed the defendants’ withdrawal to the chamber of Matthew Burkka &amp, Co., the defendants’ chief counsel.

The Attorney General of the Federation has withdrawn the fiat donated to Messrs. Femi Falana SAN on December 20, 2023 from a letter dated May 2, 2025. The letter reads in part.

A fraud case brought against Ekeh, his wife, Chioma Ekeh, and 11 others was dismissed by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in the Bwara Division in March.

The lawsuit in Suit No. CR/985/2024 was found to be a gross abuse of court procedure and liable for dismissal by Justice Akpan Okon Ebong. I subsequently cite its dismissal.

Falana, the attorney and justice minister, filed the lawsuit against Zinox Technologies’ chairman and 12 others in November 2024.

Chris Ozims, Oyebode Folashade, Charles Adigwe, Obilo Onuoha, Agartha Ukoha, Anya Anya, Femi Dosumu, Nnenna Kalu, Admas Digital Technologies Limited, Technology Distributions Limited, and Zinox Technologies Limited are the other defendants in the case.

A 753-unit housing estate that was once owned by the troubled former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, has now been officially delivered by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) handed the property over on Tuesday at the Ministry’s Mabushi, Abuja, according to a statement released on Tuesday.

Salisu Haiba, the ministry’s spokesman, said Ahmed Dangiwa, the minister of housing and urban development, praised the EFCC for its ongoing commitment to anti-corruption and asset recovery.

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission recovered the 753 housing units in Abuja from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, according to a statement from the ministry of housing and urban development.

“This represents a significant milestone in our collective determination to make sure the Nigerian people’s reclaimed assets are used effectively.” A prime example of this is the housing estate that the former Central Bank Governor recovered.

He announced that the Ministry would conduct a joint familiarization tour to assess the estate’s current state in collaboration with the EFCC.

To verify whether a building’s safety and suitability for habitation are confirmed by thorough integrity and structural integrity checks on all associated infrastructure, he said.

The Ministry will sell the units for both public and private purposes. We will use a fair and open process for the public sale component. The Renewed Hope Portal, where interested Nigerians can submit their Expressions of Interest, will be used as part of this, Dangiwa added, along with nationwide advertising.

Olanipekun Olukoyede, the EFCC Chairman, emphasized the symbolic and practical significance of the handover as evidence of the government’s commitment to combating corruption.

Kemi Nandap, the country’s Comptroller-general, has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to improving maritime border security.

She emphasized the importance of re-evaluating strategies in response to changing challenges during her address at a workshop that the United Nations counter-terrorism team and the Nigerian immigration service jointly organized on Tuesday.

“We understand that deploying cutting-edge surveillance systems and advanced communication tools is a necessity for detecting and responding to threats quickly. The NIS’s unwavering commitment to preventing foreign terrorist fighters and criminal elements from attempting to cross our maritime borders is a pillar of national security.

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Our counter-terrorism strategy’s “effective control of passenger movement and travel documentation” continues to be at a critical position, she continued.

She said, “This forum today further strengthens our collective resolve to combat a wide range of transnational threats,” referring to the workshop’s theme, “Maritime Border Security,” which included piracy, terrorism, arms smuggling, human trafficking, illegal immigration, and stowaway incidents.

These problems “unpredict the stability of the vessels and their crews, threaten national and regional stability, and undermine economic progress.” Our approach must be multidimensional, encompassing strong community engagement, strategic capacity-building, robust policy formulation, and long-term regional cooperation.

She emphasized the significance of the Gulf of Guinea, which extends along West Africa’s Atlantic coast and includes nations like Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, So Tomé and Prénécipe, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, and Benin.

She claimed that this is of significant strategic and economic significance.

The world’s energy supply is significantly impacted by offshore oil and gas reserves. However, persistent maritime insecurity, which ranges from illegal oil bunkering and fishing to piracy and other violent maritime crimes, is stifling its promise.

The African Union’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, the 2050 Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS), and the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa all align with important continental frameworks, such as the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa. We must first secure our waters, she continued, in order to realize these ambitions.

She notes that the organization is top-notch about its commitment to technology innovation, adding that operations now incorporate air-border security.

The NIS is actively enhancing its technological prowess, including the use of Passenger Name Record (PNR) and Advanced Passenger Information (API) systems for better intelligence sharing. Through the expansion of our Border Management Information System (BMIS), these tools, which are already essential for air-border security, are now being integrated into our maritime operations. We can better monitor and protect our territorial waters thanks to this strategic deployment.

Our presence in this country today shows how committed we are to the principles set forth in the ECOWAS’s Gulf of Guinea strategy and AIMS 2050. We are dedicated to creating a secure, prosperous maritime environment that promotes our shared social, economic, and environmental objectives.

The Comptroller-General emphasized the need for constant innovation, strategic thinking, and collaboration in order to address the Gulf of Guinea’s evolving security issues. She urged all parties involved to make use of the learnings from the workshop to create a more stable, secure, and prosperous maritime environment.

Senator Abba Moro, the Minority Leader, is the leader of the Senate’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus, which has dismissed rumors of internal conflict within the PDP.

Despite recent difficulties, it affirmed that the party remained united and strong.

In a press release on Tuesday in Abuja, Moro stated that the party was becoming more powerful than it had been and was on the verge of collapse.

He acknowledged there were internal disagreements, but he insisted that they were being resolved.

Moro urged members to continue to be steadfast and obedient to the party while acknowledging that every party has its fair share of conflict.

The minority leader also criticized the early emergence of a one-party state, citing the threat it poses to Nigeria’s democracy.

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The PDP, which is the largest opposition party, can support any coalition-forming party. We are a fresh and vibrant party that is present in every region of the nation. We don’t shy away from collaborating with others to advance democratic principles. If and when necessary, “Moro said, the PDP should lead the coalition.”

The reconciliation committee, led by a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, was praised for its efforts, saying they could resolve lingering internal disputes.

The senator said, “We are addressing the few contradictions that exist at the national level.