Renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Aare Afe Babalola, has accused lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi of defaming him in a recently published book, “Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.” The accusation stems from a Supreme Court judgment involving a land dispute that spanned over two decades.
Babalola, who is also the founder of Afe Babalola University, detailed the alleged defamation in a petition dated November 19, addressed to the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale. According to Babalola, his law firm discovered the book and found it contained defamatory statements that questioned his integrity and that of his law firm, Afe Babalola & Co.
Farotimi was subsequently arrested and arraigned before an Ekiti Chief Magistrates Court on charges of alleged defamation of character. The court refused his oral bail application, requiring a formal written application instead.
This development has raised concerns about the fairness of the trial and the potential for abuse of the judicial system. Human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, has argued that the arrest and prosecution of Farotimi may be a misuse of the judicial system, and that the case should have been handled as a civil matter rather than a criminal one.
