Activist Lawyer Dele Farotimi’s Book Sparks Legal Controversy, Drawing Public Support Amid Arrest

A new book written by activist lawyer Dele Farotimi has sparked a legal storm, drawing sharp criticism from prominent legal figure Afe Babalola, the founder of Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD).

Titled  ‘Nigeria  and  its  Criminal  Justice  System’,  Farotimi’s  book  offers  a  bold  and unapologetic critique of Nigeria’s justice system, with pointed allegations against some of the country’s most influential legal professionals. In the book, Farotimi accuses Afe Babalola, a respected figure in the Nigerian legal community, of corrupting the Supreme Court to secure a fraudulent judgment for his clients.

This claim has led to an uproar. Babalola, deeply offended by the characterisation, filed a police complaint in Ekiti State. In response, the police raided Farotimi’s office in Lekki, Lagos, on Tuesday. Farotimi was forcibly escorted to Ado Ekiti, where he was detained and subsequently charged with criminal defamation.

The legal battle took a dramatic turn as Farotimi faced 16 counts of criminal defamation in a chief magistrate’s court in Ado Ekiti on December 10. The court ordered that he remain in prison until his bail application hearing, set for the following Tuesday. Farotimi, who had previously spoken out against what he described as harassment by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) after his book’s release in July, has maintained his innocence.

In a social media post prior to his arrest, Farotimi titled his message ‘They Want to Silence Me’, asserting that all allegations made in his book were rooted in fact. He emphasized that those who felt wronged had the legal right to seek redress in court.

The situation has sparked an outpouring of support for Farotimi, with many Nigerians rallying behind him. In a show of solidarity, large numbers of Nigerians have purchased copies of his book. The website of one of the country’s largest online book retailers, Roving Heights, experienced a crash due to the overwhelming traffic, underscoring the widespread public interest in the case.

While the legal path ahead remains uncertain, Farotimi’s cause appears to have resonated with a significant portion of the Nigerian public, who are now firmly in his corner.

photo credit: Dele Farotimi CC 4.0International wikimedia commons