Concerns are growing among Nigerians regarding the status of multiple lawsuits against lawyer and rights activist, Dele Farotimi, following the recent withdrawal of legal actions by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Afe Babalola.
Despite Babalola’s decision to drop his case, the activist still faces numerous legal battles, particularly after the police charged him with 12 counts of cybercrime and 16 counts of criminal defamation based on Babalola’s earlier petition. Other lawyers have also filed lawsuits against Farotimi, collectively seeking over N1 billion in damages.
On December 6, 2024, Kehinde Ogunwumiju initiated legal action against Farotimi over alleged defamatory content in his book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.
Ogunwumiju, the Managing Partner at Afe Babalola & Co, demanded N500 million in damages and urged the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja to halt the book’s distribution, both online and in physical stores.
He also sought an order for the seizure of all copies and insisted that Farotimi issue a public apology in two national newspapers.
Shortly after, on December 11, 2024, another lawyer from Babalola’s firm, Ola Faro, filed a separate lawsuit at the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt, claiming defamation over statements in the same book.
Faro alleged that Farotimi falsely accused him, Babalola, and the law firm of compromising the integrity of the Supreme Court. Denying the claims, he asserted that the statements were designed to damage his reputation. Faro is demanding N500 million in damages for defamation, along with an additional N100 million for the book’s distribution.
Meanwhile, following mediation efforts by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other traditional rulers, police prosecutor Samson Osobu applied last Wednesday for the withdrawal of the cybercrime charges during a hearing at the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
However, the separate criminal case filed against Farotimi by the police at a chief magistrate’s court in Ado-Ekiti remains active, with a scheduled hearing set for February 13, 2025.
Henzodaily recalls that reports of Farotimi’s arrest surfaced on December 3, 2024, when he was apprehended by the police in Lagos.
Confirming the arrest, the Public Relations Officer of the Ekiti State Police Command, DSP Abutu Sunday, stated, “The command wishes to inform members of the public that one Mr Dele Farotimi is currently undergoing investigation following a petition written against him to the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, for an allegation of defamation of character and cyberbullying. He was arrested today in Lagos with a warrant after all means deployed by the command to bring him for interrogation proved abortive.”