Legal luminary and elder statesman, Aare Afe Babalola SAN, in the early hours of Monday, 27th January, 2025, withdrew the cases of defamation instituted against activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi.
Babalola had filed a lawsuit against Farotimi in an Ado Ekiti Magistrates’ Court following Farotimi’s publication of a book titled ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System’, which allegedly defamed him.
Farotimi was remanded in a correcttional centre for weeks before he was granted bail.
Afe Babalola’s decision to withdraw the suit followed the visit to him by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Sunday night.
The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi,CFR, Ojaja II in company of prominent Yoruba traditional Rulers in Ekiti state was at the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) at 10:08pm on Sunday night to appeal to the founder of the university Aare Afe Babalola to forgive the human rights lawyer and withdraw the ongoing criminal case instituted against him.
Babalola emphasized the significance of the Yoruba traditional institution and its influence, stating, “the monarchs are here, they have appealed to me over a criminal charge involving somebody who said I was corrupt.”
The senior advocate expressed his deep disappointment over Farotimi’s accusation that he won all his cases through corruption, which led him to decline all previous requests to withdraw the cases from court.
Speaking at the meeting, Babalola said he had received several letters as well as calls on the issue from eminent Nigerians asking him to withdraw the suit.
They included former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Bishop Hassan Kukah.
Afe Babalola said he had no choice but to succumb to the latest pleas by the visiting traditional rulers.
The Ooni mentioned that Yoruba leaders and the traditional institution had been closely monitoring the situation, adding that he and others resolved to intervene so that Babalola ” can pardon his son, Farotimi.”
“We’ve all come together as traditional rulers to discuss with you on this issue and this gentleman Dele Farotimi is your son and you must forgive him and withdraw the criminal charges against him. As a father, you have soft sons and you have tough sons, Dele Farotimi is a tough son of yours. You have indeed made a point that your name can not be be messed with”.
He commended the legal icon for building his integrity over the years, “You have done great things for this race and Nigeria, such that your name can never be forgotten, assuring him that nobody can tarnish his name and and encouraged him to remain steadfast in following the developments.
The statement quoted that Afe Babalola accepted the request, saying he grew up as a child to understand such interventions by the traditional rulers.
He said, “today is a very important day for me, I’m a Yoruba man and I’m very proud to be one. I’m not in quest of more wealth, I’m rather concerned on managing the one I have already”.
Ewi of Ado has come here to meet me on this matter, former president Obasanjo has intervened, same with Bishop Matthew Kukah and a host of other prominent Nigerians to ask for the exact thing you have come to ask for this evening., my answer to them has been “NO” but today my answer is “YES”
Babalola emphasized that he had no personal benefit to gain from Farotimi’s imprisonment. He assured the traditional rulers that he would direct his lawyers to withdraw the case.
The court granted Farotimi N30 million bail on 20th of December.
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