Afe Babalola Responds to Farotimi’s Detention Over Defamation Claims

• Aare Afe Babalola accuses Dele Farotimi of defamation in his book, claiming it tarnishes his reputation and that of his law firm
• Babalola’s petition to the police outlines allegations of unethical practices and corruption involving the Supreme Court, demanding legal action against Farotimi

Prominent Senior Advocate of Nigeria and founder of Afe Babalola University, Aare Afe Babalola, has broken his silence on the arrest of human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi, accusing him of defamation in a recently published book.

Babalola’s allegations center on comments made in Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, which he claims tarnished his reputation and that of his law firm.

The accusations stem from a two-decade-long Supreme Court judgment on a land dispute case.

In a petition dated November 19 and addressed to Ekiti State Commissioner of Police Adeniran Akinwale, Babalola outlined how his legal team discovered the defamatory statements in Farotimi’s book.

According to the petition, the book alleges that Babalola and his law firm engaged in unethical practices, including corrupting the judiciary. It further accused them of “corrupting the Supreme Court from ages past and leading it to commit the most egregious acts of injustice.”

Babalola stated, “The defamatory claims question my integrity and accuse my law firm, Afe Babalola & Co., of compromising the Supreme Court and engaging in fraudulent acts to benefit our client.”

The petition detailed that one of his lawyers discovered the book at Murtala Muhammed Airport on November 2, 2024, and brought it to his attention. After reading it, other lawyers in his firm confirmed its content as defamatory.

Specific allegations highlighted in the petition include:

• Accusations of corrupting the Supreme Court to secure a fraudulent judgment.
• Claims that Babalola and his team compromised the integrity of the judiciary.
• Statements that the law firm led the Supreme Court into “a sewer of corruption and shameful self-abnegation.”

Babalola’s petition urged the authorities to act appropriately against Farotimi for the alleged defamatory statements. Farotimi’s detention has since sparked public discourse, with calls for legal and professional resolutions to the dispute.