Babalola disclosed that he had received numerous letters and calls from distinguished Nigerians urging him to withdraw the suit, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo
Afe Babalola Agrees to Withdraw Lawsuit Against Dele Farotimi Following Pressure
Legal icon and elder statesman, Afe Babalola, has announced his readiness to withdraw the criminal defamation lawsuit he filed against rights activist Dele Farotimi. Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, had taken legal action in an Ado Ekiti Magistrates’ Court after Farotimi published a book that allegedly defamed him.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Babalola’s decision to withdraw the lawsuit came after a visit from the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Sunday night.
The Ooni visited Babalola at Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) to persuade him to reconsider the suit. Several prominent Yoruba traditional rulers, including the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Ogoga of Ikere-Ekiti, Oloye of Oye-Ekiti, Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti, and Olojudo of Ido-Ekiti accompanied him.
During the meeting, Babalola noted that he had received numerous letters and calls from distinguished Nigerians urging him to withdraw the suit, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Bishop Hassan Kukah. He expressed that ultimately, he had no desire to see Farotimi jailed.
Babalola assured the traditional rulers that he would instruct his lawyers to withdraw the case.
The Ooni emphasized that Yoruba leaders and the traditional institution had been closely monitoring the situation and felt compelled to intervene to seek forgiveness for Mr. Farotimi. He praised Babalola for his long-established integrity and encouraged him to continue along this honorable path.
The meeting concluded around midnight. NAN also reported that Babalola had recently initiated the lawsuit at an Ekiti Magistrates’ Court, citing criminal defamation due to the controversial content of Farotimi’s book, titled “Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.” The court had previously granted Mr. Farotimi bail in the amount of N30 million. Read More
