LPDC Rejects Afe Babalola’s Request to Disbar Farotimi Over Defamation Allegations

The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has dismissed a petition from Chief Afe Babalola SAN’s law firm, Emmanuel Chambers, seeking the disbarment of lawyer and author Tomilola Farotimi, also known as Dele Farotimi, over allegations of criminal defamation and professional misconduct. Farotimi was accused in the petition, authored by Ola Faro, a lawyer in Emmanuel Chambers, of making defamatory statements in his book, Nigeria and Criminal Justice System, against the Supreme Court and the legal profession.

The LPDC, in its report, found that the alleged offenses were committed in Farotimi’s capacity as an author and not as a legal professional. It concluded that it lacked the jurisdiction to address complaints regarding publications and advised the parties involved to seek redress in regular courts. The committee’s Chairman, Justice Isaq Usman Bello, emphasized that the petition could not be granted due to the LPDC’s jurisdictional limitations.

The book in question referenced a case, SC/146/2006, involving Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu, HRH Oba Tijani Akinloye, and others, alleging corruption, bribery, and unethical practices involving judicial officers and the legal community. Emmanuel Chambers’ petition accused Farotimi of distorting facts, disrespecting fellow lawyers, and obstructing justice for personal gain. It also claimed the book’s references undermined a Supreme Court judgment concerning multiple residential estates.

Emmanuel Chambers requested that Farotimi be struck off the Roll of Legal Practitioners, citing violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2023. However, the LPDC’s report clarified that the publication was an intellectual property and not a matter of professional misconduct. It recommended that those aggrieved by the book’s contents pursue legal action in regular courts.