Renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Aare Afe Babalola, has accused lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi of defamation in his recently published book, “Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System”. The allegations stem from a Supreme Court judgment involving a land dispute that spanned over two decades.
According to Babalola, Farotimi’s book contains defamatory statements that question his integrity and accuse his law firm of unethical practices, including corrupting the judiciary. Babalola claims that Farotimi’s comments suggest that he and his law firm compromised the judiciary, tarnishing the integrity of the apex court.
The controversy originated from the Supreme Court judgment on July 13, 2013, which ruled in favour of Babalola’s client, the Gbadamosi Eletu family. The case involved land acquired by the Lagos State Government but later contested by the Ojomu family, who sold the land to Babalola’s client decades earlier.
Farotimi was arrested on a 16-count charge of criminal defamation and remanded in prison custody by a magistrate court in Ado-Ekiti. Babalola has called for an urgent investigation into Farotimi’s claims and the recovery of all copies of the book.
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