Human rights advocate, Dele Farotimi, has said that he was not consulted by traditional rulers who begged Afe Babalola, senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), to withdraw the defamation suit against him.
Speaking during the ‘Toyin Falola Interviews’ on Sunday, Farotimi said since he was not consulted, he was not privy to the agreement reached by Babalola and the chiefs.
In December 2024, Farotimi was arrested in Lagos and whisked to Ekiti.
He was remanded by the Ekiti state magistrate’s court in Ado-Ekiti for 21 days after he was accused of “criminally defaming” Babalola in a book titled: ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System’.
The criminal charge, which was filed by the police, was based on a petition written by Babalola.
He regained freedom on December 24, 2024 after being granted bail of N30 million by the court.
On January 26, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, and other traditional rulers visited Babalola at his residence in Ado Ekiti.
They thereafter pleaded with Babalola to withdraw his suit against Farotimi.
Babalola acceded to the plea and withdrew the petition.
During the interview, Farotimi said his book was written based on the “things he saw” and not on hearsay.
The activist said he did not write the book to libel anyone, adding that he mentioned many names, not just Babalola’s.
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“Maybe we have become too accustomed to lies and allergic to truth, to the point where telling the truth has become a sin,” he said.
“Let us deal with veracity. Anybody can go and read and then come back and challenge me.
“What have been withdrawn are the charges preferred by the police, even though they were preferred at the instance of a petitioner who has now withdrawn his petition.
“I have no agreement with anybody as to what I may or may not speak to. I was not privy to the visit by the royalties to Ado-Ekiti. I read of it in the news like every other person.
“If I was not consulted before persons went on a mission to Ado-Ekiti, I can hardly be party to an agreement that did not have any privity with me.” The activist said he preferred to maintain silence over several details of the case since four members of Babalola’s legal firm have filed suits against him.
