I’ll Salute Afe Babalola, But The Battle Isn’t Over – Farotimi

Dele Farotimi, an activist and attorney, has said that even if the criminal charges against him have been dropped, he is still considering his legal alternatives in light of his 21-day jail sentence and other legal disputes.
Farotimi was asked what he would say if he met Chief Afe Babalola today during an interview with The Duke Rants podcast that was released on Saturday.
In the manner of a decent Yoruba lad, I would greet him. It doesn’t alter the fact that I’m still weighing my options regarding what I should do in light of what I experienced,” he said.

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“Oh, all the areas of options that are open to a person who was unlawfully kidnapped from his office, hauled before a magistrate for a nonexistent crime,” he said in response to a question about what legal options he was considering.

Questions Whether His Arrest Was Lawful

Farotimi described the anomalies that surrounded his arrest and charged that police officers had broken the law.

After passing through five states, police officers entered a sixth, traveling from Ekiti to Ondo, Osun, Oyo, and Ogun before entering Lagos. “Someone needs to explain why I was imprisoned for 21 days,” he stated.

Farotimi disclosed earlier in February that even though Afe Babalola had withdrawn his petition, he was still the target of four distinct lawsuits by Babalola’s legal team in several states.

“I still have four suits that I am aware of, in four different states of the federation, filed by members of the same law office, against my person, despite the criminal proceeding being discontinued,” he revealed, explaining why he was unable to address some aspects of the matter.

Babalola started his legal issues by petitioning the Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, claiming that Farotimi had defamed him in his book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.

After his detention, he was charged with criminal defamation in an Ekiti State Magistrate Court and accused of cyberbullying in the Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti.

After the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other traditional leaders intervened, Babalola declared on January 27 that the cases would be withdrawn. Farotimi’s legal struggles are far from ended, though.

Farotimi Challenges Critics and Defends His Book

Farotimi vigorously defended his work, claiming that it was not based on fiction but rather on research and firsthand experience.

“I wasn’t at an officers’ mess, I wasn’t sitting in a beer parlor, and I wasn’t gossiping. It wasn’t idle, cheesy chatter. I penned a book,” he said.

“Let us deal with veracity,” he said, daring anyone to refute the facts in his book. Anyone is welcome to read it, then return to confront me about the falsehood I told.