- Dele Farotimi plans to sue those responsible for his December 2024 arrest and detention, stemming from a withdrawn defamation case filed by lawyer Afe Babalola, SAN.
- Farotimi accused authorities of using state power to settle personal scores and plans to seek justice, demanding an account from those who sent him to prison.
- Farotimi was arrested in Lagos and transferred to Ekiti State, facing defamation charges for statements in his book Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, with a 21-day remand order.
Lagos-based lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi has announced his decision to pursue legal action against those involved in his arrest and detention in December 2024. The arrest had stemmed from a now-withdrawn defamation lawsuit initiated by legal icon Afe Babalola, SAN.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Farotimi alleged that his detention was an abuse of state power used to serve a personal agenda. He declared his intent to seek redress, saying, “I will certainly be demanding an account from those who sent me to prison.”
Farotimi was apprehended by police in Lagos and taken to Ekiti State, where he was charged over statements in his book Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System. A magistrate court ordered his remand for 21 days. Though the defamation case was later withdrawn by Babalola, Farotimi insists that accountability must go beyond that action.
“Even though the criminal suit has been withdrawn, the civil suits are there, and what I would like to do in response to my incarceration is another ball game entirely,” he said. “You can be certain that some people will account for my incarceration, but that is not a matter for banter. That is something for the courts to decide.”
Asked who he intends to sue, Farotimi explained that his legal team will determine the targets of the litigation, but emphasized that anyone who played a role in the misuse of state authority could be held responsible.
“Whether it’s the police that I have to sue, whether it’s the magistrate who sent me to prison, whether it’s the persons who wrote the petition, whether it’s whoever, but somebody would explain,” he stated.
