Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Afe Babalola, has given conditions for the release of human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, who has been clamped into prison custody over a book detailing alleged corruption in the Judiciary involving the old fellow lawyer.
However, Farotimi has alleged that powerful Nigerians and legal experts were colluding with the security agencies to threaten his life and that of his some Pastors in whose church he preached recently as a guest speaker.
Offering conditions for the detainee’s release, Babalola’s legal team said Farotimi would be free when upon proving the defamatory allegations against the SAN.
Owoseni Ajayi, Olakanmi Falade and Lawrence Fasanmi gave the conditions during a press briefing in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital city on Friday.
The lawyers said Babalola petitioned the Police to investigate the defamatory allegations Farotimi made in the book titled, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.
According to them, charging Farotimi to court by the law enforcement agency was for the law to take its due cause on the matter.
Ajayi said the press conference was to correct the various misleading publications about the ongoing matter between the Nigeria Police Force and Farotimi.
He said, “All facts are verifiable. I urge Nigerians to verify and find out what the truth is first before picking a side.
“Is it wrong for Aare Afe Babalola to seek justice for these false utterances against him? Should justice only be available to Mr Dele Farotimi because Aare Afe Babalola is a global icon?
“Once Mr Dele Farotimi can show proof that his assertions in the book are true, then he will be free.
“The law allows free speech, but not one that is calculated to injure the good reputation of another.”
In a Press Statement he signed and made available to journalists on Tuesday, Farotimi narrated how he got information on November 11 that an invitation letter from the Zone 2, Police Command, was delivered to his office.
According to the lawyer, the letter requested that he should report to the police station on November 13, at 10:00 AM.
On the said date, he said he was accompanied by his legal counsel and arrived at the station at 9:45am.
The politician claimed that, at the station, he was presented with a petition written by Chief Afe Babalola, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, accusing him of defaming his client.
Farotimi said, “Despite finding the petition baseless, I addressed its content”.
“Subsequently, I met with the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP and the Assistant Inspector-General in charge of Zone 2. After discussions, I was released on bail on self-recognisance and asked to return to the station on Thursday, the 21st of November 2024.
“Following this, I informed my friend, Pastor Sam Aiyedogbon of Realm of Glory International Churches, about the incident.
“On Saturday, the 16th of November 2024, Pastor Sam informed me that one of the Pastors in his church, John Ntekume, had been abducted by the police, interrogated, and then returned to the church.
“He was coerced to write a statement along with another Pastor, Obiorah Ochokwu.
“The police showed them a petition written by Chief Afe Babalola in Ekiti State, addressed to the Ekiti State Police Command, and demanded that they lure me to the church to facilitate my arrest.
“The Pastors informed the police that they had no means of doing so, as I am not a hidden person and do not have a direct relationship with them.
“They explained that I had preached at their church as a guest of their Senior Pastor and left. From their accounts, it became evident that the officers were from the Ekiti State Police Command.
“I found it perplexing that the police would attempt to lure me through such means, especially since I had already reported to Zone 2 on the 13th of November 2024 and was scheduled to return on the 21st of November 2024.”
