Alleged Defamation: Court Grants Dele Farotimi ₦30m Bail
An Ekiti State Magistrate Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, December 20, 2024 granted human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi ₦30 million bail.
Farotimi was escorted to the Court under heavy security guard that comprising policemen and other law enforcement agents.
The human rights lawyer was remanded in prison custody on December 7, 2024, after being charged based on 16 count charges bothering on criminal defamation allegedly contained in a book with the title; “Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System”, written by him.
Chief Afe Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and founder of Afe Babalola University, had alleged that Farotimi defamed him in his book.
The alleged accusation emanated from a Supreme Court judgment on a land dispute that spanned over two decades.
In a petition dated November 19, and addressed to the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, CP Adeniran Akinwale, Chief Babalola chronicled how his law firm discovered Farotimi’s book, “Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System” and the defamatory contents therein.
The petition by Babalola stated; “I write to report the criminal defamation of myself, my law firm Afe Babalola & Co and my lawyers in person of Olu Daramola SAN and Ola Faro by one Dele Farotimi in his book titled ‘NIGERIA AND ITS CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM’ published by Dele Farotimi publishers in respect of Suit no: SC/146/2005: Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu & Ors V. H.R.H Oba Tijani Akinloye & Ors”.
