● Stacey Brownson
Nigerian crossdresser and social media personality Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, has filed a ₦1 billion lawsuit against Martins Vincent Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan, accusing him of defamation through an AI-generated audio clip.
Announced via Bobrisky’s Instagram account on Sunday, the lawsuit claims that VeryDarkMan released an AI-manipulated audio recording falsely implicating Bobrisky in illicit relationships with high-profile figures, including politicians and law enforcement officers.
According to the legal complaint, Bobrisky’s legal team accused VeryDarkMan of exploiting their client’s name and influence for personal gain, by making baseless allegations about Bobrisky’s relationships with public6 figures.
“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,” the legal statement reads.
The statement also highlights a specific allegation, stating, “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.”
Further accusations state that VeryDarkMan made these defamatory statements without concern for Bobrisky’s mental health, privacy, or fundamental rights.
The lawsuit continues, “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.”
It goes on to condemn the actions of VeryDarkMan: “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 fulfill them by any means, regardless of the negative effects on our client and others caught in your unfounded attacks.”
The lawsuit specifically challenges an AI-generated audio recording recently published by VeryDarkMan, which allegedly features a conversation involving Bobrisky. Bobrisky’s lawyers maintain that no such conversation ever took place.
“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.”
The statement further claims that Bobrisky has endured significant reputational damage due to VeryDarkMan’s actions, citing a September 24, 2024, video where VeryDarkMan allegedly threatened to release a damaging video if Bobrisky did not comply with certain demands.
“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.”
In addition to damages, Bobrisky’s legal team demands that VeryDarkMan present proof of the authenticity of the alleged audio recording and retract his statements.
“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.”
The letter reiterates that Bobrisky has not made any allegations of bribery or wrongdoing and calls on VeryDarkMan to retract his statements immediately.
“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.”
Bobrisky’s legal team demanded that VeryDarkMan delete the audio clip, issue public apologies in two national newspapers, and record a video apology to be shared on all social media platforms. They also demanded VeryDarkMan cease publishing defamatory content and pay ₦1 billion in damages within 24 hours.
“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.”
The lawyers warned that if these demands are not met, legal action will be taken.
“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.”
This lawsuit follows the release of a viral audio clip by VeryDarkMan, in which Bobrisky allegedly claimed that some unnamed operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) received ₦15 million from him to drop money laundering charges.
