- Lawyer and human rights activist Dele Farotimi has been granted N50 million bail by the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti after being charged with criminal defamation
- Farotimi's arrest stems from allegations of defaming Senior Advocate Afe Babalola in his book. He faces 16 counts of criminal defamation related to corruption accusations
- Despite legal setbacks, the Take It Back Movement plans protests in Ekiti, Lagos, Abuja, and abroad in support of Farotimi, rejecting the court's actions
The Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, has granted lawyer and human rights activist Dele Farotimi a N50 million bail.
This decision was disclosed by Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the 2023 election, on his X handle on Monday, December 9.
Sowore shared that Farotimi's bail included a surety of N50 million, with the surety required to provide landed property as collateral. The case was adjourned to January 29, 2025.
Sowore further criticised what he termed Farotimi's "farcical trial" and noted that it would continue on Tuesday, December 10, at the Magistrate Court in Ado-Ekiti, despite what he claimed was a "non-existent offence" in Ekiti state law. He added that they had called on the Attorney-General of Ekiti State to discontinue the trial immediately.
Farotimi was arrested on December 7, 2024, and was remanded in prison custody after being charged with 16 counts of criminal defamation.
The charges stem from accusations made in his recently published book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, which allegedly defamed renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria Aare Afe Babalola. Babalola’s legal team claims that the book accused him of corruption in relation to a Supreme Court judgment involving a long-standing land dispute.
Farotimi's arrest followed a petition by Babalola, dated November 19, 2024, which was addressed to the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale. In the petition, Babalola’s law firm detailed how it discovered the book, which they claim falsely accused Babalola of corrupting the Supreme Court.
Farotimi was apprehended by officers of the Lagos State Police Command and transported to Ekiti for arraignment.
Despite a directive from the Ekiti State Police Command prohibiting unlawful gatherings and protests due to public safety concerns, the Take It Back Movement has vowed to proceed with planned protests in Ekiti, Lagos, Abuja, London, and Canada in solidarity with Farotimi.
The movement's National Coordinator, Juwon Sanyaolu, argued that the police lacked the legal authority to ban peaceful protests.
Meanwhile, Babalola’s lawyers have stated that Farotimi will be granted freedom if he is able to substantiate the allegations made in his book against the elder statesman.
76 #EndBadGovernance protesters charged to court in Abuja
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that seventy-six protesters from the #EndBadGovernance movement were arraigned in Abuja, with many exhibiting signs of severe malnutrition.
The protesters, who were arrested during nationwide demonstrations between August 1 and 10, were expressing their frustrations over hunger and escalating economic hardships in the country.
