Babalola had accused Farotimi of defaming him in his new book by alleging that he compromised the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily– An Ekiti State Magistrate Court has granted human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi bail in the defamation case filed by Afe Babalola, a senior advocate of Nigeria.
This was disclosed by the 2023 African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, on his X handle on Monday, December 9, 2024.
According to Sowore, Farotimi was granted N50m bail with a surety in the same amount.
The surety must also provide landed property as collateral.
The case has been adjourned to 29 January 2025.
Babalola had accused Farotimi of defaming him in his new book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, by alleging that he compromised the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The appellant said the defendant brought his image to disrepute and asked him to provide proof of his allegations as contained in the book.
In response to the allegations, the Ekiti State Police Command arrested Farotimi from his Lagos base, sparking widespread public backlash.
Notable Nigerians, civil society organisations and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) have spoken against the arrest, saying it undermines free speech and raises concerns about the state of justice in Nigeria.