Afe Babalola, a renowned legal luminary and founder of Afe Babalola University, has withdrawn his criminal defamation case against activist and lawyer Dele Farotimi following the intervention of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and five other Yoruba monarchs.
The traditional rulers, including the Ewi of Ado, Oba Rufus Adejugbe Aladesanmi III; the Ajero of Ijero, Oba Adewole Joseph Adebayo; the Ogoga of Ikere, Oba Samuel Adejinmi Adu; the Alaaye of Efon Alaaye, Oba Dr. Emmanuel Aladejare Agunsoye II; and the Olojudo of Ido Ekiti, Oba Ilori Faboro, visited Babalola’s residence in Ado Ekiti late Sunday night to appeal for leniency.
Farotimi had been arrested in December and charged with criminal defamation after alleging in his book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, that Babalola influenced judicial decisions through corruption. He spent three weeks in detention before being granted bail.
Despite previous appeals from former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Bishop Matthew Kukah, and other prominent Nigerians, Babalola had remained firm on pursuing the case. However, following a late-night meeting with the Yoruba monarchs, he agreed to withdraw the charges, acknowledging the deep-rooted tradition of royal intervention in disputes.
“There is nothing I will gain from his imprisonment, and there’s nothing I want from damages. I am not in quest of more wealth but rather focused on managing what I already have. Dele Farotimi is hereby forgiven,” Babalola stated.
