- Dele Farotimi was granted bail by the Ekiti State Magistrate Court after being accused of cybercrime. His bail was set at N30 million with two sureties
- Farotimi faced charges of defamation after his book Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System allegedly made false statements about Chief Afe Babalola
- Farotimi was arrested after a petition by Chief Afe Babalola, accusing him of publishing defamatory content regarding Babalola’s alleged corruption
The embattled human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has been granted bail by the Ekiti State Magistrate Court in Ado-Ekiti, following a series of allegations of cybercrime.
Farotimi, who has faced significant legal challenges in recent weeks, was granted bail on Friday, December 20, after a tense legal battle.
This decision follows the court's denial of Farotimi's earlier bail application, which had been rejected just days prior.
The court granted him bail in the sum of N30 million, with two sureties, one of whom must be a homeowner. In addition, Farotimi is required to submit his passport to the court registrar and is prohibited from granting any media interviews during the course of the trial.
Farotimi’s arrest stemmed from a petition filed by senior lawyer, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), which led to the charges against the human rights advocate.
The case, identified as suit No: MAD/1,476.C/2024, pits the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police against Farotimi as the defendant.
The charges revolve around Farotimi’s 2024 book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System, which allegedly contains defamatory statements about Chief Afe Babalola.
The charges claim that the statements made in the book, particularly those regarding Babalola’s involvement in alleged corruption within the Supreme Court, could potentially incite fear or disturb public peace.
Specifically, Farotimi has been accused of publishing a passage which claims that Babalola had corrupted the Supreme Court to obtain a fraudulent judgment, an allegation that the prosecution asserts is false and damaging.
Court orders VeryDarkMan to delete defamatory posts about Falana, Falz
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that on September 24, VeryDarkMan allegedly made defamatory comments about Falanas in a leaked audio of Bobrisky.
VeryDarkMan’s comment stirred controversy leading to a lawsuit filed by Femi Falana against VeryDarkMan.
