Nigerian rapper, Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, has said controversial cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye, better known as Bobrisky, called him to ask for money during his case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), but had nothing to do any bribery.
Falz said he did not give Bobrisky the N3 million requested from him.
Meanwhile, Falz’s legal team, Falana & Falana Chambers, has denied allegations that its client conspired with Bobrisky and demanded N10 million to try to obtain presidential pardon for the cross-dresser.
Giving details of interaction, Falz through his legal team stated that Bobrisky contacted him and that he thought it was to seek legal advice regarding his naira abuse case with the EFCC.
The letter stated that Bobrisky requested N3 million from Falz to secure a VIP section at the correctional centre, and that the request was denied by the rapper.
Falz’s lawyer, Taiwo E. Olawanle, outlined these events in a letter to VeryDarkMan (Martins Vincent Otse) on September 25, 2024.
Falz’s clarification aims to set the record straight and address misinformation surrounding his involvement with Bobrisky.
The letter which SaharaReporters obtained partly read, “Your publication of September 25, 2024, on your Instagram page captioned “In everything and everyone that is mentioned here, I will be disappointed if truly FALZ and his father are involved in this whole Bobrisky issue…” has been drawn to our notice wherein you made some defamatory statements against our client.
“To set the records straight, our client never at any point initiated a conversation with Mr Idris Okuneye. Our client has documentary evidence that Mr. Idris was in fact the one who initiated a call.
“Specifically, on the 4th of May 2024, Mr Idris Okuneye (AKA Bobrisky) contacted our client requesting a phone conversation with him. Our client gratuitously obliged, having knowledge of the Naira abuse charges leveled against him, and genuinely believing he might require legal advice.
“Mr Idris Okuneye (Aka Bobrisky) called shortly after but instead of soliciting legal advice, stated that he was in distress and needed financial assistance of about N3,000,000 (Three million Naira) which he claimed he needed to pay some officials to be permitted to stay in the VIP section of the Correctional Centre.”
The letter added, “Our client, in the same conversation, advised him that there was no need to pay the officials of the Correctional Centre any money. However, Mr Idris Okuneye (Aka Bobrisky) stated that his lawyers had messed up his case by asking him to plead guilty to the charges filed against him. Mr Idris Okuneye (Aka Bobrisky) insisted on his request for the money which our client continuously disapproved.
“Without contacting our client, you went ahead to publish a careless statement containing multiple allegations including an insinuation that our client is involved in a homosexual affair and intended to get a presidential pardon for Mr Idris Okuneye.”
SaharaReporters reported earlier that Falz and his father, Femi Falana (SAN) had demanded an immediate retraction of the “defamatory statements” against them and a public apology to be issued across all platforms where the accusations were disseminated.
The chamber, however, warned that failure to comply within 24 hours would result in legal action, including a claim for monetary damages for the harm caused to Falz and his father, Femi Falana’s reputations.