Human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has disclosed why his son, Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, speaks out against the Nigerian government.

Falana revealed that his son’s activism is rooted in his own experiences of being arrested and detained by the government.

Speaking at an event in Lagos, the legal luminary stated that his son was concerned about his frequent arrests and humiliation from the government while growing up.

“One day, when that boy was six, he asked his mother, ‘Our teacher taught us that only criminals are usually arrested. Is my father a criminal? Why is he always being arrested?’,” Falana said.

He went on to explain that his wife had to educate their son that in Nigeria, under the military, only two sets of people are usually arrested – criminal suspects and political suspects. “Political suspects are those who are out to expose the criminality of the government. That is what you see going on,” he added.

Falz has been an active voice in Nigeria’s state of affairs, consistently using his platform to speak out against injustice and police brutality.

He recently released a diss track titled ‘Yakubu’ to satirize the events that transpired during the 2023 election in Nigeria.

Falz was also one of the strong #EndSARS movement agitators who campaigned against police brutality in Nigeria.

Reacting to his father’s revelation, Falz took to social media to express his gratitude and pride in his father. “My father speaking on why I speak up against the government is one of the proudest moments of my life. He taught me well,” he wrote.

Falz’s activism has earned him accolades and recognition both locally and internationally.