Ekiti Court Remands Farotimi Over Alleged Defamation of Afe Babalola

An Ekiti court orders the remand of Farotimi following allegations of defaming legal icon Afe Babalola, as the case raises discussions on defamation laws in Nigeria.

A Magistrate Court in Ado Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State, has ordered the detention of human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi. This is in connection with an alleged defamation case involving Aare Afe Babalola, the founder of Afe Babalola University (ABUAD) located in Ado-Ekiti.

Farotimi faced arraignment by the Ekiti State Police Command for authoring a book titled “Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System,” in which he claimed that Afe Babalola had influenced the Judiciary and secured favorable judgments in the Supreme Court through corruption.

The defendant, Dele Farotimi, entered a plea of not guilty to all sixteen charges.

Police prosecutor Samson Osun requested that the suspect be held in prison custody while further investigations are conducted, to ensure the maintenance of national security.

Dayo Akeredolu, the defendant’s counsel, objected to the request for remand and urged the court to grant bail to the defendant on very lenient terms or based on self-recognition. He argued that since this is a bailable case and the suspect poses no threat due to being a well-known individual, such an approach would be appropriate.

He stated that the defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty.

In his decision, Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun ordered the suspect to be held in prison and postponed further proceedings until December 10.