Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has taken over the legal case of a 73-year-old man, Areola Abraham, who was assaulted by the suspended Olorile of Orile Ifo, Oba Semiu Ogunjobi.
Falana, who also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), received Abraham at his chambers in Ikeja GRA, Lagos, on Wednesday. During the meeting, he pledged to seek justice for the victim and press charges against the suspended monarch for the violation of fundamental human rights.
A statement from the National Vice President of CDHR, Yinka Folarin, confirmed the development, adding that Falana assured Abraham of full legal support. “Falana has taken up the case and will ensure that the victim’s fundamental rights are upheld,” Folarin said.
Also present at the meeting was Comrade Soyombo Sunday, a former chairman of CDHR in Ogun State and a human rights investigator.
Meanwhile, Oba Ogunjobi, who was suspended by the Ogun State Government for six months over the incident, was remanded in a correctional facility in Ilaro after failing to meet his bail conditions set by the Ifo Magistrate Court.
The case has sparked widespread condemnation, with rights groups calling for strict penalties against the monarch to serve as a deterrent to abuses of power by traditional rulers.
