The Nigeria Police Force has brought human rights advocate and activist, Dele Farotimi, before a Magistrate Court in Ekiti State.
According to Naija News, Farotimi was apprehended in Lagos on Tuesday by officers from the Ekiti State Police Command and was presented in court around 10:25 AM on Wednesday.
The legal practitioner faces 16 charges of defamation against prominent legal figure and Afe Babalola University founder, Aare Afe Babalola SAN. Farotimi is accused of tarnishing Babalola’s character in his recent book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.
In response to the arrest, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of silencing opposition voices, including Farotimi, in an effort to establish a one-party state. Atiku stated that Farotimi’s arrest was a stark reminder of Nigeria’s military dictatorship era.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Atiku condemned the arrest, calling it an abuse of power. “The arrest and detention of lawyer and human rights advocate, Dele Farotimi, is unequivocally condemned. It serves as a grim reminder of the dark days of military dictatorship when the iron fist of tyranny sought to crush all dissent,” Atiku remarked.
He also criticized the use of law enforcement in a defamation case, emphasizing that such matters should not involve police intervention. “The Police’s intervention in such matters is nothing less than the use of a sledgehammer to swat a fly, an overreach of unimaginable proportions,” Atiku said.
The former PDP presidential candidate also cautioned President Tinubu, warning that continued arrests of dissenting voices under his administration threaten the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy.