Farotimi: I Still Face Lawsuits From Afe Babalola’s Firm
On Sunday, activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi disclosed that he was still faced with four separate suits in different states filed by members of the Aare Afe Babalola law office.
Farotimi’s disclosure comes after the Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), on January 27, agreed to withdraw the cases instituted against Farotimi.
Following Afe Babalola’s petition to the police commissioner in Ekiti State that Farotimi defamed him in a book titled ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System,’ the police arrested the activist lawyer and arraigned him before two courts in Ekiti.
Consequently, Farotimi stood trial for alleged criminal defamation before an Ekiti State Magistrate Court, Ado Ekiti District and for alleged cyber-bullying before the Ado Ekiti Division of Federal High Court.
Babalola had announced his withdrawal of the case against Farotimi citing the intervention of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other top traditional rulers.
But featuring on Sunday’s conversation, with the theme: “Politics, Law and Society,” Farotimi disclosed that while the police had withdrawn criminal charges against him following Babalola’s petition withdrawal, he still faced four civil suits across different states, all filed by members of Babalola’s law office.
Farotimi emphasised that his book was not written in a moment of idle talk or baseless accusations but rather a well-researched work documenting his experiences and observations about the Nigerian judicial system.
Dismissing claims that the controversy surrounding his book is a personal battle, Farotimi insisted that what is on trial is not his reputation, but the Nigerian legal system itself.
He reaffirmed that his controversial book, ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’, is not an attack on individuals, particularly legal luminary Chief Afe Babalola, but rather a critique of systemic corruption within the judiciary.
He stressed that his work was written in pursuit of justice, not personal vendettas.
