Afe Babalola: ‘Dele Farotimi’s Arrest Wasn’t on Alleged Defamation’, Lawyer Speaks
- A Lagos-based lawyer, Muhammed Ndakudu Adam, has said going by a video made by Dele Farotimi, a bench warrant was issued against the activist
- Adam, popularly known as Foundational Nupe Lawyer on X, explained that when a bench warrant is issued, it means an individual has disobeyed the order of the court to appear and defend an allegation
- According to Adam, "technically, the arrest (of Farotimi) wasn’t on alleged defamation but on refusal to appear in court to defend the alleged defamation”
Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs.
Ado Ekiti, Eikit state - Muhammed Ndakudu Adam, a lawyer, has said technically, the arrest of Dele Farotimi was not on alleged defamation but on purported refusal to appear in court to defend the alleged defamation.
Legit.ng had reported how a chief magistrate’s court in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital, on Wednesday, December 4, remanded Farotimi, a ’retired’ lawyer and activist in prison over alleged defamation of Afe Babalola, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and founder of Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD).
Source: Twitter
Farotimi was seized at an office in Lagos and transported to Ekiti state.
On Tuesday morning, December 3, the opposition figure, who is vocal on social media, raised an alarm. He alleged that officers attached to the Ekiti state police command had perfected plans to "abduct" him from Lagos.
Farotimi accused the command of deploying questionable means to lure him for arrest despite honouring the invitation of Zone 2 police headquarters in Lagos a few weeks ago.
According to sources, Farotimi's comments about Babalola were in a book published in Lagos and not Ekiti. The university founder was said to have deemed the former's remarks about him calumnious.
Farotimi purportedly refused to appear in court
Some persons have described Farotimi’s arrest by personnel of the Nigerian police over allegations bordering on libel/defamation as “a troubling breach of the rule of law.” But wading into the matter via his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, Adam made a clarification, saying Farotimi allegedly disobeyed the order of the court to appear.
Barrister Adam said on Thursday, December 5:
“From the video Dele made himself, a bench warrant was issued against him and when a bench warrant is issued, it means you have disobeyed the order of the court to appear and defend the allegations against you. So technically, the arrest wasn’t on alleged defamation but on refusal to appear in court to defend the alleged defamation.”
Moment Dele Farotimi was whisked away
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that activist Aisha Yesufu shared a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing the moment police operatives arrested and took away Farotimi.
Yesufu likened Farotimi's arrest to a terror attack and called on Nigerian authorities to prioritise the urgent task of combating the real threats plaguing our nation.
Source: Legit.ng
