An Ekiti State Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ado Ekiti has struck out the defamation suit filed against human rights activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, by the Nigeria Police.
The prosecutor, Martins Akala, a legal officer with the Ekiti State Police Command’s Criminal Investigation Department, applied for the withdrawal of the case, leading to its dismissal.
This comes after a Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti had earlier, on January 29, 2025, struck out similar charges of cyberbullying and defamation against Farotimi, following a police application to withdraw the case.
The charges were originally filed against Farotimi on December 4, 2024, over allegations made in his book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, where he accused legal luminary Afe Babalola of corrupting Supreme Court justices. The court had granted Farotimi bail on December 20, 2024, and scheduled February 13 for a hearing.
However, following the intervention of prominent traditional rulers, led by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Afe Babalola agreed to withdraw the case on January 27, 2025.
At Thursday’s hearing, Akala formally applied to withdraw the charge, a motion that was not opposed by Farotimi’s lead counsel, Kembi Adejare.
In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun struck out the case, stating:
“Based on the written and oral applications by the prosecution for the withdrawal of the case and the fact that the defendant did not have any objection, the charge is hereby struck out. That is the end of the case.”
Speaking to journalists after the ruling, Farotimi’s lawyer, Adejare, remarked, “They brought us here, and they asked us to go. They put the chains on, and they removed them. Why should we complain?”
The dismissal of the case marks the end of a legal battle that had drawn significant public attention.
