The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and socio-political organization, Afenifere, has urged Nigerians to permit the judicial system to fairly adjudicate the criminal defamation charges filed against a legal practitioner, Dele Farotimi, by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Naturenex reports that these charges arose from a complaint submitted to the Ekiti Police Command by Chief Afe Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and respected elder statesman, who claims that the content of the 104-page book titled ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice,’ authored by Farotimi, has defamed him.
Recall that the author, Farotimi, was apprehended in Lagos last week and subsequently transported to Ekiti.
The complainant, Afe Babalola, who resides in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, contends that the book published by Farotimi, which has gained significant attention globally, is accessible in Ekiti State, thereby harming his reputation.
Farotimi, a well-known Nigerian activist, was presented before a Magistrate Court in Ado Ekiti on Monday.
The presiding judge, Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun, denied his request for bail and ordered his detention in prison until December 10.
A segment of the Nigerian populace has organized plans for a large-scale protest in Lagos State, the Federal Capital Territory, and Ekiti State on December 10, advocating for his immediate release.
However, according to the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Comrade Jare Ajayi, “the legal system provides an opportunity for parties in a dispute to prove their cases.”
Afenifere firmly asserted that the interests of both parties, as well as those of the general public, “must be safeguarded and justice administered impartially.”
Ajayi, in his statement, emphasized that “the court is uniquely positioned to ascertain how these interests can be protected and to guarantee that the prosecution is carried out in a manner that more effectively upholds the principles of justice.”
Afenifere urged all involved parties to refrain from making statements or taking actions that could disrupt public order while also calling upon the government to ensure strict adherence to the rule of law.
Afenifere maintained that the appropriate venue for determining the infringement of rights and the manner of redress is the court of law, as established by the Nigerian constitution.
“We enjoin all parties to conduct themselves in total submission to and respect for the rule of law,” the spokesman added.
