Farotimi Responds: ‘Afe Babalola Is Old Enough To Be My Father,’ Denies Intent To Destroy Him

Activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has clarified that his book Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System was not written out of idle chatter or baseless accusations, but is instead a well-researched examination of his experiences and observations regarding the Nigerian judicial system.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

He emphasized that his controversial book is not an attack on individuals, particularly Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, but rather a critique of systemic corruption within the judiciary.

It was previously reported that on January 27, Afe Babalola (SAN) agreed to withdraw the defamation cases he had filed against Farotimi. Babalola had taken legal action, accusing Farotimi of defamation based on statements made in his book. The police had arrested Farotimi and brought him before two courts in Ekiti State.

However, Babalola later withdrew the case, citing the intervention of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other prominent traditional rulers.

Speaking during The Toyin Falola Interviews on Sunday, Farotimi explained that although the police had dropped the criminal charges following Babalola’s withdrawal, he was still facing four civil suits in various states, all filed by members of Babalola’s legal team.

“My inability to speak on certain aspects of this matter is due to the fact that, even though the criminal case has been dropped, I am still dealing with four civil suits filed by members of the same law office across four states,” Farotimi stated.

He further clarified, “I did not sit down in a beer parlour, I wasn’t gossiping, and this wasn’t cheap talk. I wrote a book.”

Farotimi also addressed the veracity of his claims, inviting anyone to read his book and challenge him on any lies he may have written. “Let us deal with veracity. Anyone can read it and come back to challenge me with the lie I’ve told,” he said.

Rejecting claims that the controversy surrounding his book was a personal conflict, Farotimi insisted that the real issue at hand was the state of Nigeria’s legal system, not his personal reputation.

“This is not a trial of Dele Farotimi. Let nobody make that mistake. It is a trial of the legal system we have built collectively,” he asserted.

Farotimi concluded by noting that his work was written in the pursuit of justice, not personal grievances, adding, “Chief Afe Babalola is old enough to be my father.”