Afe Babalola Withdraws Defamation Case Against Dele Farotimi After Ooni’s Intervention

By Emmanuel Kwada

In a dramatic turn of events, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Afe Babalola has withdrawn the criminal defamatory case against activist Dele Farotimi, following the intervention of Ooni, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and 9 other monarchs.

The withdrawal is seen as a major triumph for Farotimi, who has been at the center of a heated controversy surrounding his book “Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System”. The book exposed the criminality and involvement of Afe Babalola, prompting the 95-year-old lawyer to accuse Farotimi of defamation and cyberbullying.

Farotimi was granted 50M bail, which was taken by Peter Obi, and he was advised not to grant any interviews

Farotimi’s ordeal began on December 3rd, when he was arrested by Ekiti men working for Afe Babalola and driven from Lagos to Ekiti, where he spent 21 days in jail. Prior to his arrest, Farotimi had received intel that his life was in danger, and he had reported the threat to the police, but no action was taken. After his release on December 24th, Farotimi was granted 50M bail, which was taken by Peter Obi, and he was advised not to grant any interviews.

The case has sparked widespread outrage, with many Nigerians calling for Farotimi’s unconditional release and condemning the actions of Afe Babalola. The withdrawal of the case is seen as a victory for free speech and a major blow to those who seek to silence critics and activists. As Farotimi said upon his release, “I’ve never lied against anyone. We are fighting evil and it will be tough. If I don’t know, anything I’d be quiet.”