Legal luminary and founder of Afe Babalola University, Aare Afe Babalola, has accused lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi of defamation, following claims made in Farotimi’s book Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System. At the center of the controversy is a Supreme Court judgment from 2013 concerning a 254-hectare land dispute in Lagos State.
In a petition addressed to the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Babalola alleged that Farotimi’s book contains damaging statements aimed at tarnishing his reputation. According to Babalola, one of his lawyers purchased the book at the Murtala Muhammed Airport and identified several defamatory statements within it, prompting immediate action.
The controversial book accuses Babalola of corrupting the Supreme Court to secure a fraudulent ruling in favor of his client, the Gbadamosi Eletu family. It also claims Babalola and his law firm manipulated the judiciary, drawing the court into what the book describes as “a sewer of corruption.” Furthermore, Farotimi alleged that Babalola used his legal influence to prevent him from obtaining justice in the case.
The disputed land was originally sold in 1977 by the Ojomu family but later acquired by the Lagos State Government. The Supreme Court eventually ruled in favor of Babalola’s client, but Farotimi, representing one of the estates affected by the judgment, publicly criticized the verdict.
Reacting strongly, Babalola has denied all allegations, describing them as deliberate falsehoods intended to harm his reputation and undermine public trust in his law firm, Afe Babalola & Co. The senior advocate insists that his professional ethics remain unshaken and has initiated legal action against Farotimi.
On December 4, Farotimi was arraigned in an Ado-Ekiti Magistrate Court on a 16-count charge for defamation. The court ordered his remand in prison pending further legal proceedings.
This case has stirred significant attention, highlighting the intersection of legal advocacy, personal reputation, and freedom of expression within Nigeria’s judicial landscape.
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