Barely a week after Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Afe Babalola, withdrew his cases against lawyer and rights activist Mr. Dele Farotimi, concerns have grown among Nigerians over the status of other pending lawsuits against the activist.

The unease stems from the fact that while the police have dropped cybercrime and defamation charges filed against Farotimi based on Babalola’s petition, other lawyers have instituted separate legal actions against him, seeking over N1 billion in damages.

On December 6, 2024, another SAN, Mr. Kehinde Ogunwumiju, Managing Partner at Afe Babalola & Co, sued Farotimi for alleged defamatory statements in his book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System. Ogunwumiju demanded N500 million in damages and asked the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja to halt the publication and sale of the book in physical and online bookstores. He also sought an order for the seizure of all copies of the book and demanded that Farotimi publish an apology in two national newspapers.

Less than five days later, on December 11, 2024, another lawyer from Babalola’s firm, Mr. Ola Faro, filed a petition at the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt. Faro alleged that Farotimi defamed him, Babalola, and the law firm in the same book, accusing them of compromising the integrity of the Supreme Court. Faro described the statements as false and deliberately aimed at tarnishing his reputation. He sought N500 million in damages for defamation and an additional N100 million for the distribution of the book.

The withdrawal of Babalola’s cases followed the intervention of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other traditional rulers. Last Wednesday, the police prosecutor, Samson Osobu, applied to withdraw the cybercrime charges against Farotimi during a hearing at the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

However, another criminal charge filed by the police against Farotimi before a chief magistrate’s court in Ado-Ekiti remains pending. The case, scheduled for February 13, has not been withdrawn as of the time of filing this report.

Farotimi’s legal troubles began on December 3, 2024, when he was arrested in Lagos by the police. The Ekiti State Police Command confirmed the arrest, stating that Farotimi was being investigated for alleged defamation and cyberbullying based on a petition filed against him.

DSP Abutu Sunday, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Ekiti State Command, said: “The command wishes to inform members of the public that one Mr. Dele Farotimi is currently undergoing investigation following a petition written against him to the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, for an allegation of defamation of character and cyberbullying. He was arrested today in Lagos with a warrant after all means deployed by the command to bring him for interrogation proved abortive.”

The withdrawal of Babalola’s cases has been seen as a positive development, but the pending lawsuits by other lawyers have raised concerns about the continued legal harassment of the activist. Many Nigerians view the multiple lawsuits as an attempt to silence Farotimi, who has been vocal about issues of justice and governance in the country.

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