By Okeke Eunice
The Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, has urged the police to immediately halt what it calls the “unjust” prosecution of human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, over alleged defamation.
Afenifere’s Deputy Leader, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, made this statement while speaking to journalists in Lagos on Wednesday.
He called on the police to “restore their integrity” by swiftly ending Farotimi’s prosecution, which, according to Olaitan, lacks legal justification.
Olaitan recounted the circumstances surrounding Farotimi’s arrest and suggested that the prolonged delay in granting bail raised concerns that external factors, rather than legal reasons, were influencing the case.
On December 10, the Ekiti State Magistrate Court postponed Dele Farotimi’s criminal defamation case to December 20, 2024, to hear the bail application.
Chief Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun ordered Farotimi’s remand in the correctional facility.
Olaitan stated, “The delay in granting bail has fueled concerns that this case is being influenced by factors outside the law and the facts of the matter. While the prosecution bears the burden of proof, and Farotimi is presumed innocent under the law, Afenifere calls on the police to put an end to this unjust prosecution.”
Afenifere also criticized the circumstances of Farotimi’s arrest, calling it an “abduction.”
Olaitan stated that Farotimi’s arrest, especially the transfer from Lagos to Ado-Ekiti on defamation and cyberstalking charges, violated police procedures.
He highlighted that Farotimi’s arrest was neither recorded nor processed at any police station in Lagos, where the arrest took place. Instead, he was quickly taken to Ekiti, bypassing the usual procedures.
Olaitan expressed concern, saying, “This practice of arresting individuals in one state and transferring them without proper documentation or informing their families is troubling. It leads to unnecessary emotional strain for both the detainee and their relatives, who may not know their whereabouts for long periods.”
Afenifere called on the police to stop this practice, stressing that all arrests should be recorded at the nearest police station and that individuals should have the right to contact their family or a lawyer.
Farotimi was arraigned on December 4 before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ado-Ekiti, facing 16 counts of criminal defamation.
The charges were based on a petition filed by prominent lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Afe Babalola, who alleged that Farotimi defamed him in his book titled “The Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System”.