The Police in Ekiti State Thursday informed the Ekiti State Chief Magistrates Court, it was no longer prosecuting human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi on charges of defamation.
Mr. Farotimi was arraigned on December 4 2024 following an alleged defamation of Afe Babalola SAN in a book, titled, ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System,” authored by Farotimi. He was also arraigned on separate charge of cyberbullying and defamation at the Federal High Court, sitting in Ado-Ekiti.
However, on January 29, 2025, the case at the Federal High Court was struck out following the police application to withdraw the charge. The matter before the Ekiti Magistrate Court, was adjourn till February 13, 2025, but the police prosecutor told the court that the defamation suit against Farotimi should be withdrawn following directives from the authorities.
This followed the intervention of prominent Yoruba traditional leaders led by Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi. Afe Babalola agreed to drop the charges.
Reacting to the court’s ruling, Farotimi’s counsel, Kembi Adejare said, “the case was struck out based on the application of the prosecution. We welcomed it, they brought us here and they asked us to go.
“In the open court, I said they had just removed the chains, they brought the chains, they removed the chains. Why should we complain?”
Afe Babalola and Dele Farotimi