Farotimi Faces N1.1 Billion Defamation Lawsuits, Criminal Charges Still Pending Despite Afe Babalola’s Withdrawal

Despite the recent withdrawal of cases filed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Chief Afe Babalola against lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi, concerns persist over other pending lawsuits seeking over N1 billion in damages.

Farotimi, who was previously arrested and charged with 12 counts of cybercrime and 16 counts of criminal defamation based on Babalola’s petition, still faces legal action from other lawyers. On December 6, 2024, SAN Kehinde Ogunwumiju sued Farotimi for alleged defamatory statements in his book Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System. Ogunwumiju, a Managing Partner at Afe Babalola & Co, is demanding N500 million in damages and has urged the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja to halt the book’s publication and sale. He has also requested that all copies of the book be seized and that Farotimi issue a public apology in two national newspapers.

Less than a week later, on December 11, another lawyer from Babalola’s firm, Ola Faro, filed a separate lawsuit at the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt. Faro claims that statements in Farotimi’s book falsely accuse him, Babalola, and the firm of compromising the integrity of the Supreme Court. Denouncing the allegations as false and damaging to his reputation, Faro is seeking N500 million for defamation and an additional N100 million for the book’s distribution.

Meanwhile, following the intervention of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other Yoruba traditional rulers in the dispute between Babalola and Farotimi, the police prosecutor, Samson Osobu, applied for the withdrawal of cybercrime charges at a resumed hearing at the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti. However, a separate criminal defamation case filed by the police against Farotimi at a chief magistrate’s court in Ado-Ekiti remains active. The case, scheduled for February 13, has not been withdrawn as of the time of this report.

Farotimi’s legal troubles began on December 3, 2024, when he was arrested in Lagos by the police. The Ekiti State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Abutu Sunday, confirmed the arrest, stating that it followed a petition accusing Farotimi of defamation and cyberbullying. He was taken into custody after allegedly failing to respond to police invitations for interrogation.