Florence Sadiku
CONTROVERSIAL crossdresser, Idris Okuneye (popularly known as Bobrisky) says the audio of a telephone conversation between him and an unnamed individual, which was publicised by social media influencer Martins Vincent Ortse (popularly known as VeryDarkaMan), was artificially generated and intended to malign him.
In a letter addressed to VeryDarkaMan dated 27 September 2024, a copy of which was obtained by Eighteen-Eleven Media on Sunday, Bobrisky is asking for a written apology published in two national daily newspapers, a video recording of
VeryDarkaMan’s apology published on all VeryDarkaMan’s social media platforms, an undertaking to desist from reporting, publishing defamatory content against him and the payment in favour of the sum of One Billion Naira (NI,000,000,000) only as damages within 24hours of this letter via social media or any other means.
Acting through his counsel, A. R.T. Omuvwie, Bobrisky says that in one of VeryDarkaMan’s trending videos on various social media platforms alleged that various DIGs of the Nigeria Police Force, lawmakers, senators and politicians generally were in the habit of having sexual intercourse with him wherein he is yet to provide proof of same till date.
Bobrisky’s letter which was also copied to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC( and the Minister of Interior read in part:
“That you continued to make reckless and unfounded statements, including hearsay statements that you cannot prove against our client, not minding his mental health and his general well-being, including his right to privacy and right to freedom of thought, right to life and other constitutional fundamental rights of our client.
“That one will think that after such, some level of caution or restrain, considering the safety and wellbeing of your goals are personal and self-uplifting for you and your backers, hence you have made it a life goal task to fulfill it by all means notwithstanding its negative effect on our
client and other persons who may be caught in your unguided attacks.
“It has come to the attention of our client that you recently published an artificially generated audio call, claiming that same was between an unnamed individual and our client. For the record, our client never had any audio conversation
with this fellow whom you claim to represent and that your act of defamation and blackmail should be withdrawn against our client within 24 hours of the service of this letter of demand via social media platforms.
“That your artificial intelligence generated audio conversation published by you is the brainwork of you and any other person that worked with you to create same. We therefore warn, going forward, that you 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 idea of such a telephone conversation with you or any other person.
“That it has come to our notice that since the publication of the said blackmail material and defamatory content by you, our client has suffered immense damages and has gotten several damaging reviews of his person, his brand and everything he holds dear, just like you threatened in the video earlier published on Tuesday the 24″ day of September 2024, stating that failure to pay the demanded sum you would publish a damming video and that our client would loss friends not knowing that the said damming video and recording was a defamatory content created by you to put our client in bad light and for your purpose of blackmail and that one would wonder after the payment you still went ahead to publish false information about our client because you have up your sleeves dangerous agendas to accomplish against our client.
“That our client, by this letter, put you to strict proof in respect to the authenticity of the said audio recording and that he never had a phone conversation with you or anybody represented by you, so it is quite shocking to our client that you would publish an artificial intelligence generated audio recording to damage the social standing of our client and to put our client’s life in harm’s way, solely for your selfish personal goals.
“That you alone and anybody working together with you owe the authorities, security agencies and the respected, amiable legal and human rights fighter explanation as to how you created the audio recording, defamatory words used including your very confident defamatory commentary before and after the artificial intelligence audio recording to damage the social standing of our client, and to put our client’s life in harm’s way, solely for your selfish personal goal”
VeryDarkMan is yet to respond as of press time.
Eighteen-Eleven Media