Activist and lawyer Dele Farotimi has revealed that, despite the withdrawal of criminal charges against him, he still faces four civil lawsuits filed by members of the Aare Afe Babalola law office.
Farotimi made this disclosure during the Toyin Falola Interviews on Sunday, just weeks after Afe Babalola (SAN), the Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, announced the withdrawal of criminal proceedings against him.
Legal Battle Continues
The dispute began after Babalola filed a petition accusing Farotimi of defamation over statements in his book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System. This led to Farotimi’s arrest and subsequent arraignment before two courts in Ekiti State—facing charges of criminal defamation in a Magistrate Court and cyberbullying at the Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti.
On January 27, Babalola withdrew the case, citing interventions from prominent figures, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi. However, Farotimi has now revealed that civil suits against him remain active in four different states.
“My inability to speak to certain aspects of this issue is borne out of the fact that, despite the discontinuation of the criminal proceedings, I still have four suits that I am aware of, in four different states, filed by members of the same law office,” Farotimi said.
‘This is Not About Me, But the Legal System’
Farotimi defended the credibility of his book, emphasizing that it was a well-researched critique of systemic corruption within Nigeria’s judiciary, not an attack on individuals.
“I did not sit down 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,” he asserted. “Let us deal with veracity. Anybody can go and read and then come back and challenge me with the lie that I have told.”
He dismissed claims that the lawsuits were a personal battle, stating that the real issue at stake is Nigeria’s legal system.
“This is not a trial of Dele Farotimi. Let nobody make that error. It is a trial of the legal system that we have built as a collective,” he stated.
‘Not a Personal Attack on Afe Babalola’
Farotimi clarified that his book was not meant to target Afe Babalola personally but to highlight broader issues within the judiciary.
“Chief Afe Babalola is more than old enough to be my father,” he said. “I did not set out to destroy the man or tarnish his image. Nothing personal. I was writing about the institution of the judiciary.”
He reiterated that his book was based on truth, not defamation.
“Multiple names were mentioned in the book, and offices were mentioned. I did not set out to libel anybody. I simply told the truth of what I saw. All I did was write a book. Maybe we have become too accustomed to lies and allergic to truth, to the point where telling the truth has become a sin,” he concluded.
Farotimi’s legal battle continues as he prepares to defend himself against the four pending lawsuits.
