Falana Reveals Why Dele Farotimi Was Arrested, Demand Immediate Release From ‘Illegal Custody’

Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has disclosed that Human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, was arrested over an alleged criminal libel.

Naija News reports that Falana, in a statement on Tuesday, revealed that Farotimi was arrested in Lagos State.

Falana demanded that Farotimi should be released unconditionally from “illegal custody”.

The statement read, “I just confirmed that Mr. Dele Farotimi was arrested in Lagos today for alleged criminal libel.

“In demanding Mr. Farotimi’s unconditional release from illegal custody, I wish to state, without any fear of contradiction, that Lagos State is among the two states in Nigeria that have decriminalised defamation in its entirety.

“In fact, the current state of the law was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in the case of Aviomoh v Commissioner of Police & Anor. (2021) LPELR-55203(SC) when Helen Ogunwumiju JSC held that “Defamation was decriminalised in the Criminal Law of Lagos in 2011 and Edo State Criminal Law Bill 2020.”

Peter Obi Condemns Arrest Of Dele Farotimi

Meanwhile, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has condemned the arrest of human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, by the Nigeria Police.

Peter Obi said the arrest of Farotimi, a former member of his presidential campaign council, on an allegation of defamation by the police was a gross misuse of police powers.

In a statement on Tuesday, he stated that the arrest of Farotimi was an intimidation of opposing voices.