Dele Farotimi's Lawyer Files Fundamental Rights Suit Challenging Police Arrest In Lagos Over Alleged Defamation Of Afe Babalola

Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has taken a legal action against his arrest by the Ekiti State Police Command. 

His counsel, Ralph Nwoke, revealed that he had filed a fundamental human rights application at the Lagos State High Court to seek further information on the circumstances surrounding Farotimi's arrest.

According to Nwoke, in an interview with News Central, the police invaded Farotimi's office, seized phones and devices from staff members, and even threatened to shoot those who questioned them. 

"We’re in court. We’ve filed a fundamental human rights application before the Lagos State High Court. We’re trying to get further information on what happened today,” Nwoke said.

SaharaReporters reported on Tuesday that Farotimi was arrested and taken to Ekiti State for allegedly defaming Afe Babalola, a prominent legal figure, in his book "Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System".

On Wednesday, Farotimi was arraigned at a Magistrates court in Ado-Ekiti, where he pleaded "not guilty" to the 16 charges brought against him. 

The presiding magistrate, Abayomi Adeosun, denied him bail and ordered that he be remanded in the correctional centre until December 10 for further hearing.

Meanwhile, there are outrage over his arrest, detention and remand in prison by a Magistrate, a development human rights community described as a return of dark old days.

The Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRAAN) had called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria to urgently save the citizens from the dangerous route the courts in Nigeria are plying, describing a development where courts are now an appendage of the police dangerous. 

"The hard-earned constitutional guaranteed rights of citizens are gradually being filtered away by the courts and this calls for urgent attention," the group said in a statement by its President, Olu Omotayo.