A human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has been arrested by the Nigerian police at Zone 2 in Lagos following a petition filed by Tony Elumelu the chairman of United Bank for Africa Group.
It was gathered that the petition alleged that Farotimi defamed Elumelu through statements made publicly.
Farotimi’s arrest was disclosed by the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, in a post on his X handle on Tuesday, who called for the lawyer’s immediate release, emphasising that the police should not be used to settle personal disputes.
Sowore wrote: “It is pertinent that the Nigerian police are notified that the institution cannot continue to be used to settle personal scores, and we, the citizens of Nigeria, would no longer tolerate such a situation.
“Therefore, the police at Zone 2 in Lagos are advised to release Barrister Dele Farotimi immediately.”
However, it was reported that the police spokesperson at the Zone 2 Command, SP Ummar Ayuba refuted the arrest claim.
“We did not make any arrest. He is not in our custody,” she reportedly said.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, Mr Adeniran Akinwale disclosed that the lawyer was arrested for various alleged offences.
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The commissioner said that the offences committed included “defamation of character, cyberstalking, and other things. But those two are fully established.
“That was why we have been looking for him before we were able to arrest him.
“We are investigating him. If the suspect is arrested, we will bring him for investigation. We will conduct our investigation and will be able to know his level of culpability or otherwise.”
Farotimi had raised concerns about alleged threats to his life, accusing Nigerian elites of collaborating with security agencies and legal practitioners to intimidate him.
In a statement titled “They Want to Silence Me”, the lawyer recounted receiving a police invitation on November 11, requesting his presence at Zone 2 Command on November 13 at 10:00 AM.
Accompanied by his legal counsel, Farotimi reportedly arrived at the station at 9:45 AM on the specified date.
“At the station, I was presented with a petition written by a lawyer, accusing me of defamation,” Farotimi stated. “Despite finding the petition baseless, I addressed its content,” he added.
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