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Dele Farotimi’s Legal Battle Intensifies as Police Charge Him with Cybercrime, Defamation

Published

1 month ago

Feb 2, 2025.

Dele Farotimi Farotimi faces multiple lawsuits and over N1 billion in damages.
He’s charged with cybercrime and defamation, stemming from Afe Babalola’s petition.
Legal battles continue despite Babalola’s withdrawal of his case.

Nigerians are raising concerns about the mounting legal challenges facing lawyer and rights activist, Dele Farotimi, after Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Afe Babalola withdrew his legal action against him.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that despite Babalola’s decision, Farotimi still faces a range of lawsuits and criminal charges, including accusations of cybercrime and defamation.

The police recently filed charges against Farotimi, including 12 counts of cybercrime and 16 counts of criminal defamation, based on an earlier petition by Babalola. Additionally, other lawyers have launched their own lawsuits, collectively demanding over N1 billion in damages.

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On December 6, 2024, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, Managing Partner at Afe Babalola & Co, initiated legal proceedings against Farotimi over alleged defamatory content in his book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.

Ogunwumiju is seeking N500 million in damages and has requested the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja to halt the book’s distribution, both online and in stores. He also wants all copies of the book seized and a public apology published in two national newspapers.

Following this, on December 11, 2024, another lawyer from Babalola’s firm, Ola Faro, filed a separate defamation suit at the Rivers State High Court. Faro claims that Farotimi’s book falsely accused him, Babalola, and their law firm of compromising the integrity of the Supreme Court, alleging that the statements were designed to tarnish their reputation. Faro is seeking N500 million in damages, plus an additional N100 million for the book’s distribution.

In a turn of events, police prosecutor Samson Osobu, following mediation by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, applied for the withdrawal of cybercrime charges against Farotimi at a Federal High Court hearing in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, last Wednesday.

However, the criminal case filed by the police against Farotimi in Ado-Ekiti’s chief magistrate court remains unresolved, with a hearing set for February 13, 2025.

The Public Relations Officer of the Ekiti State Police Command, DSP Abutu Sunday, confirmed the arrest, stating that Farotimi is undergoing investigation for defamation of character and cyberbullying following a petition made to the Ekiti State Police Commissioner’s office. Farotimi was arrested in Lagos with a warrant after the police’s attempts to bring him in for questioning were unsuccessful.

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