Human rights lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana has demanded unreserved apology from a social media activist, Princess Banke Oniru, for defamatory comments made against him in connection to the 2020 #EndSars protest across the country.
Oniru in a post on her X account on September 29, accused Falana and some acclaimed coordinators of the protest of constantly sharing millions of naira, which were funds contributed for the protest.
She also accused the senior lawyer of frustrating the tribunal set up to handle cases during the protest.
Oniru with X handle, @HRH_bankeoniru said, “Following the EndSARS unrest, and during the panel of inquiry, the Lagos state government’s initial funding offer was met with resistance.
“@sarahibrahim and associates then consulted Mr. Femi Falana regarding the substantial sum proposed for advisory purposes.
“Despite Mr. Falana’s counsel to accept the funds as a gift, I deemed it incongruous to accept financial compensation from those we were opposing, fearing it may undermine our integrity.
“Adeshina Ogunlana of blessed memory was the only lawyer that stand genuinely for the endsars, he can never be bought.
“Falana is a constant betrayal of our ideals. Remember he almost frustrated the tribunal. Mr. Femi Falana is not a saint.
Reacting, Falana, in a letter dated Sept. 3 and signed by his lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, gave Oniru 14 days to retract the said post and apologise for the unfounded statements made against him.
The senior lawyer denied receiving money from anyone in connection to the protest, rather, listed huge contributions he made both during and after the #EndSars protest.
The letter reads in parts: “Your defamatory publication against our Client is completely unfounded and lacks any form of justification. Our Client’s spirited support for the oppressed youths of Nigeria during the #EndSars protest is well documented. It is pertinent to restate some of our Client’s contributions for the sake of posterity.
“Our Client has always been an advocate for justice and integrity and this fact is manifestly evident to the public. Apart from engaging the services of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and other counsel to defend the #EndSars protesters in Lagos who were targeted at the Lekki Toll Gate, our client provided, mobilised and encouraged the surviving victims and the parents of the protesters that were killed during the protests to give oral testimony at the Panel in Lagos.
“Our client also provided legal counsel to other victims of police brutality who contacted him for legal representation before the Judicial Commissions of Inquiry instituted by the Governments of 27 other States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
“One of the leaders of the #EndSars protest is an undergraduate of a local university. Her education became threatened after she had played a leading role in the protests. Impressed by her leadership qualities, our Client offered her a scholarship to study in another university in a neighbouring country. Incidentally, a progressive family in Kenya secured admission for her in a foreign university and undertook responsibility for her education. Happily, the young lady will complete her degree program and graduate in December 2024.
“On November 12, 2020, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) purporting to act under Sections 57 and 60(B) of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA), Section 13(1) of the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013 and the CBN Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism Regulations 2013, obtained an ex-parte order from a Federal High Court in Abuja to freeze the accounts of 19 individuals and a company whom it alleged to have promoted the #EndSARS protests in Nigeria.
“The owners of the bank accounts cried to our Client for legal intervention. Our client took up the case. Our client travelled from Lagos to Abuja to argue the case because the CBN had engaged the services of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Our client ensured that the illegal ban placed on the accounts was lifted. Thereafter, our Client filed 20 separate suits at the Federal High Court seeking compensation for the owners of the bank accounts that were illegally frozen. The cases are still pending at the Federal High Court.
“On November 11, 2020, a private citizen filed a criminal complaint before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Abuja against 50 persons for their alleged roles in the #EndSARS protests. The document shows that the criminal complaint was filed by a certain Mr. Kenechukwu Okeke against Pastor Sam Adeyemi, Folarin Falana (Falz), Aisha Yesufu, Davido, Tuface, and 45 others, for their alleged roles on and outside social media over the #EndSARS protests
“On November 15, 2020, Chief Magistrate Omolola Akindele granted the application and gave the Police two weeks to round off their investigation so that trial of the case would commence. Our client assigned a lawyer to appear for all the defendants.
“The lawyer challenged the order at the Federal High Court. The order was struck out. Omoyele Sowore compiled the list of #Endsars protesters who were charged with criminal offences in many courts for taking part in the protests. He passed the list to our Client and requested our Client to assist them. Our Client’s law firm defended the majority of. the #Endsars protesters. The criminal cases were struck out while the protesters were discharged.
Falana narrated how he helped one of the leaders of the protest to get back a passport, siezed by the Nigerian Immigration Service, during the protest and how he provided support to surviving victims and parents who were afraid to testify at the Panel, also facilitating a N5m support from the Lagos state government, for a widow whose husband was killed by a stray bullet during the protest.
He therefore demanded a written apology as well as a publication on four national newspapers and a retraction of the defamatory Post.