Folakemi Falana, daughter of renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana, has responded to recent allegations of bribery and corruption involving her father, her brother, rapper and activist Falz, and Nigerian socialite Bobrisky.
The accusations, which surfaced through social media personality VeryDarkMan, claim that the Falanas were involved in a scheme that influenced Bobrisky’s release from prison.
Taking to her Instagram on Friday, Folakemi refuted these claims, clarifying that her father had never had any form of communication with Bobrisky.
She also explained that Bobrisky had reached out to Falz, not for legal assistance, but for financial help to afford better treatment during his time in prison.
According to Folakemi, there was no discussion about a presidential pardon in any of these exchanges.
To support her statement, she shared documents showcasing Falana & Falana’s longstanding tradition of offering free applications for presidential pardons, dating back to 2016.
Folakemi stressed that her family has consistently offered this service free of charge and noted that anyone in Nigeria is entitled to request a pardon on behalf of a convicted individual.
Frustrated with the quickness with which some Nigerians were willing to believe the allegations, she addressed rumours about Falz’s sexuality and accusations of an alleged relationship with Bobrisky.
In her statement, she wrote, “My Parents and our firm, Falana & Falana have been applying for presidential pardons for Nigerians FREE way before a lot of you were born or before you could talk. Slide 1 is from 2016 and Slide 2 is from 2022.
“It’s crazy that some Nigerians act like they can’t read or think for themselves. It’s unfortunate.
“It’s even crazier that all it takes is for a ridiculous character like VDM to accuse my dad and Falz of bribery, corruption and perversion of the course of justice and you suddenly forget who they are and what they stand for. For him to have the audacity to go as far as even accusing Falz of being homosexual and having an affair with Bobrisky is wild. The fact that some of you believe it, is what is blowing my mind.”
Folakemi went on to provide further clarification, saying, “For the record, anyone can write the president to request a pardon for any convicted person in Nigeria.
“To be crystal clear, the facts are as follows: 1) My dad has never met or talked to Bobrisky whether directly or via a proxy.
“2) Bobrisky reached out to Falz the same way he reached out to many other celebrities asking for money. The reason he gave was so that he could afford to stay in the VIP section of prison. He never discussed a presidential pardon with him. He said he was reaching out from prison, and Falz had no reason to believe otherwise.
“3) Do you think my dad or Falz need Bob’s money??? For what?”
Folakemi labeled the accusations as baseless and hinted at legal consequences for the accuser, saying, “Seeing as you have refused to do the needful, #verydarkblackman see you in court.”
The controversy began when VeryDarkMan released audio clips purportedly containing Bobrisky’s allegations that Femi Falana and Falz had contacted him prior to his release from prison.
In the recordings, Bobrisky allegedly claimed that the elder Falana arranged a 10 million naira settlement to secure his freedom.
In response to these allegations, Falz has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to VDM, demanding the removal of all defamatory statements made against him and his family.
