Character Defamation: Human Rights lawyer Dele Farotimi to Remain in Prison till December 10

Dele Farotimi, a human rights lawyer and social critic, has been prosecuted and remanded in prison in Ekiti State after his policemen detained him on Tuesday.

Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, shared an update on the case via his X page on Wednesday. He stated that the human rights lawyer was hurriedly prosecuted and sent to jail after being denied bail by a judge.

He said the judge also ordered Farotimi’s remand until December 10 when the case will be heard in court.

“The Nigerian justice system is whack, as expected Dele Farotimi has been hurriedly prosecuted and sent to prison after being denied bail by a judge in Ado Ekiti pre-arranged to do the same,” Sowore wrote on X.

He also accused Afe Babalola, a prominent Nigerian lawyer, and the judicial system of having a hand in Farotimi’s arrest which has since been widely criticised on social media.

“The Police, Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, and the judicial officers had it all planned out even before they sent the goons from Ekiti state command RRS (formerly SARS) to abduct him. The case adjourned till December 10, 2024.”

Farotimi was arrested on Tuesday by officers of the Ekiti Police Command who claimed there was a petition written by Tony Elumelu of UBA Group, accusing the human rights lawyer of defamation.

In November, Farotimi told journalists that the police were trying to abduct him after he received an invitation from the Zone 2 Police Command in Lagos.

FIJ