Dele Farotimi’s Arrest: Grim Reminder Of Dark Military Dictatorship – Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has said that the arrest and detention of lawyer and human rights advocate, Dele Farotimi, serves as a grim reminder of the dark days of military dictatorship when the iron fist of tyranny sought to crush all dissent.

He said that it is imperative to remind the Tinubu administration that the repeated acts of arrest stand in direct contradiction to the principles of democracy.

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, noted that the aim is clear: to intimidate and harass citizens, particularly those who oppose the regime and the press, thus paving the way for the establishment of a one-party state.

Atiku, who said that he was made aware that Dele is being accused of defamation, said that it is an offense that, under normal circumstances, should not warrant the involvement of law enforcement.

He specifically said that the Police’s intervention in such matters is nothing less than the use of a sledgehammer to swat a fly, stressing that it was an overreach of unimaginable proportions.
Atiku in a statement he personally signed, stressed that the alarming trend, particularly the recent abduction, or the arrest of Dele Farotimi, is emblematic of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s insidious agenda to suffocate the fundamental right to free expression.

He further said; “Freedom of speech and association are not privileges but constitutionally enshrined rights. If anyone feels wronged by defamatory words, they are free to seek redress in the courts, not at the hands of the state’s enforcers.

“It is an appalling abuse of power to use the Police as a tool for personal vendettas. In 2019, I was defamed. I did not involve the Police to flex muscles and intimidate the defaming citizen, but I took the case to court where I am currently seeking reliefs for the injuries to my name and integrity,” he said.

Atiku therefore called for the immediate and unconditional release of Dele Farotimi.