Human rights activist and legal practitioner, Dele Farotimi, has revealed that despite the withdrawal of criminal charges against him, he is still considering his next steps in light of his 21-day incarceration and the continuing legal struggles he faces. In a candid conversation on The Duke Rants podcast, Farotimi shared his thoughts when asked about meeting Chief Afe Babalola today.
“I would greet him like a good Yoruba boy, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m still contemplating my options regarding what I went through,” Farotimi said.
Pressed further about what those options entailed, Farotimi didn’t mince words: “I’m considering all the available legal avenues for someone who was unlawfully abducted from his office and taken before a magistrate for a crime that doesn’t even exist.”
Farotimi’s arrest, which sparked public outcry, was mired in irregularities. He explained that law enforcement officers violated multiple legal procedures by crossing five state lines in what he described as an unlawful manhunt. “Policemen crossed five state lines, entering six different states from Ekiti, to Ondo, to Osun, to Oyo, to Ogun, and finally into Lagos. Someone needs to explain why I was incarcerated for 21 days,” he said.
The controversy that led to Farotimi’s arrest began after Afe Babalola, a highly respected Nigerian lawyer, filed a petition with the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, accusing Farotimi of defaming him in his book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System. Farotimi was then arraigned in Ekiti State Magistrate Court on charges of criminal defamation and cyber-bullying. However, on January 27, Babalola withdrew all charges against Farotimi after mediation efforts from the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other influential traditional leaders.
Despite the withdrawal of the criminal cases, Farotimi is not yet free from legal battles. He disclosed that he is facing four separate lawsuits filed by members of Babalola’s law office across different states in Nigeria. “My inability to speak freely about some aspects of this issue is due to the fact that there are still four lawsuits, filed by members of the same law office, still pending in four different states of the federation,” he explained.
Farotimi remains resolute in defending his work, stating that his book was rooted in rigorous research and his personal experiences, not falsehoods. “I didn’t sit in a bar, gossiping; I wrote a book based on facts. Let anyone come forward and challenge me on the veracity of what I’ve written,” he said defiantly.
The activist stressed that the controversy surrounding his book was not about his personal reputation but a much larger issue: the state of Nigeria’s legal system. “This is not a trial of Dele Farotimi. It is a trial of the system we have collectively built,” he declared. Farotimi further clarified that his book was not a personal attack on Babalola, but rather a critical examination of the corruption embedded within Nigeria’s judiciary. “Chief Afe Babalola is old enough to be my father. I didn’t set out to destroy his image. The book was a critique of the institution, not the man,” he concluded.
Farotimi’s words underscore his commitment to challenging the systemic issues within Nigeria’s justice system, asserting that the legal battles he’s facing are much bigger than his personal grievances.
