By: Bayero Ade
Despite Chief Afe Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), withdrawing his legal action against Dele Farotimi, the rights activist and lawyer continues to face significant legal challenges, with concerns arising over his ongoing lawsuits.
According to Vanguard, Farotimi, who was previously arrested and charged by the police with 12 counts of cybercrime and 16 counts of defamation following a petition by Babalola, still has other cases pending. These lawsuits, filed by other lawyers, involve claims for damages amounting to over N1 billion.
On December 6, 2024, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, a SAN, initiated a lawsuit against Farotimi, accusing him of defamation due to statements in his book ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.’ Ogunwumiju is seeking N500 million in damages and has requested the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja to prevent the book’s distribution and sale. He also demands the confiscation of the book’s copies and an apology from Farotimi in two prominent national newspapers.
Just a few days later, on December 11, 2024, Ola Faro, another lawyer from Babalola’s law firm, filed a petition in the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt. Faro accuses Farotimi of defaming him in the same book, specifically claiming that certain statements cast aspersions on the Supreme Court’s integrity and defamed his character. Faro is requesting N500 million in damages and an additional N100 million for distributing the book.
Though Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, along with other traditional rulers, stepped in to mediate the dispute between Babalola and Farotimi, the police prosecutor, Samson Osobu, filed for the withdrawal of cybercrime charges against Farotimi during a hearing in the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, last Wednesday. However, the charge for defamation still stands in a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ado-Ekiti, and the next hearing is set for February 13, 2025.
Farotimi’s arrest on December 3, 2024, in Lagos was confirmed by the Ekiti State Police Command. DSP Abutu Sunday, the police spokesperson, revealed that the arrest followed a warrant issued after repeated attempts to bring Farotimi in for questioning had failed. The arrest stems from allegations of defamation and cyberbullying against Farotimi.
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