Despite the withdrawal of criminal charges against him, human rights activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, says he is still exploring legal options regarding his 21-day incarceration.
Speaking on The Duke Rants podcast, published on YouTube over the weekend, Farotimi was asked how he would react if he met Chief Afe Babalola today.
“As a well-raised Yoruba man, I would greet him with due respect,” he said. “But that does not change the fact that I am still considering my options regarding what I endured.”
When asked what options he was weighing, he responded: “Every legal course available to someone who was unlawfully abducted from his office and dragged before a magistrate for a crime that does not exist.”
Farotimi highlighted the irregularities surrounding his arrest, emphasizing that law enforcement violated legal procedures.
“Officers crossed five state lines—from Ekiti to Ondo, to Osun, to Oyo, to Ogun, and finally into Lagos. Someone needs to explain why I was detained for 21 days,” he stated.
Earlier in February, Farotimi revealed that although Afe Babalola withdrew his petition, he still faced four separate lawsuits filed by members of Babalola’s law office in different states.
“I cannot discuss certain aspects of this case because, despite the criminal case being discontinued, I still have four pending lawsuits in four different states, all filed by the same law office,” he explained.
His legal troubles began when Babalola accused him of defamation over statements in his book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.
Following his arrest, Farotimi was arraigned before an Ekiti State Magistrate Court for alleged criminal defamation and later at the Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti for alleged cyber-bullying. However, on January 27, Babalola withdrew the cases following interventions from the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other traditional rulers.
Defending his book, Farotimi insisted it was based on research and personal experience rather than falsehoods.
“I did not sit in a beer parlour. I was not at an officers’ mess. I was not gossiping. It was not idle, cheap talk. I wrote a book.
“Let’s deal with facts. Anyone can read it and challenge me on any falsehood,” he asserted.
He dismissed claims that the controversy was about his personal reputation, insisting that the real issue was Nigeria’s legal system.
“This is not a trial of Dele Farotimi. Let no one be mistaken. This is a trial of the legal system we have collectively built,” he maintained.
Farotimi further emphasized that his book was never meant as a personal attack on Babalola or any individual but was a critique of systemic corruption within the judiciary.
“Chief Afe Babalola is old enough to be my father,” he said. “I did not set out to destroy him or tarnish his image. This is not personal. My focus is on the judiciary as an institution.”
