Renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and founder of Afe Babalola University, Aare Afe Babalola, has accused lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi of defamation in a recently published book.
In a petition dated November 19 and addressed to the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale, Babalola alleged that Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, contains defamatory claims about him, his law firm Afe Babalola & Co., and his colleagues. The allegations stem from comments made regarding a Supreme Court judgment on a land dispute that spanned over two decades.
The petition read, “I write to report the criminal defamation of myself, my law firm Afe Babalola & Co, and my lawyers, Olu Daramola SAN and Ola Faro, by one Dele Farotimi in his book titled ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’, published by Dele Farotimi Publishers, in respect of Suit no: SC/146/2005: Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu & Ors V. H.R.H Oba Tijani Akinloye & Ors.”
Babalola claimed that the book contained several defamatory statements accusing him of corrupting the judiciary to secure favorable judgments. Excerpts from the book, cited in the petition, alleged that:
“Aare Afe Babalola corrupted the Supreme Court to procure a fraudulent judgment in the service of his client.”
“The law offices of Afe Babalola & Co. compromised the Supreme Court and the remaining semblance of integrity it might have had.”
The case in question involved 254 hectares of land in Lagos, which the Supreme Court awarded to Babalola’s client, the Gbadamosi Eletu family, in 2013. Farotimi, who represented one of the affected estates, criticized the judgment and accused Babalola of unethical practices in his book.
Babalola countered these allegations, stating, “All these statements are false and incorrect, written deliberately to destroy my reputation. Dele Farotimi referred to me several times in his book as the Doyen of the legal profession.”
Legal Action Against Farotimi
On Wednesday, Farotimi was remanded in prison custody by an Ado-Ekiti Magistrate Court following his arrest in Lagos. He faces a 16-count charge of criminal defamation.
In addition to the petition, Babalola urged authorities to recover all copies of the book and halt its further distribution. He called for an urgent investigation into Farotimi’s claims, describing them as damaging to his reputation and the credibility of the judiciary.
Babalola emphasized his six-decade-long career in law, marked by professionalism and integrity, and expressed disappointment at what he described as Farotimi’s “disregard for the rule of law.”
