ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- A Chief Magistrates Court in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, ordered the remand of human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi in the state’s correctional facility on Wednesday.
Farotimi was arraigned on charges of defamation of character related to his book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System, in which he accused Senior Advocate of Nigeria Afe Babalola of compromising the Supreme Court, among other allegations.
After hearing from the police prosecutor, Samson Osubu, who presented a 16-count charge, Farotimi pleaded not guilty.
Chief Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun adjourned the case to December 10, 2024.
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Farotimi was arrested in Lagos on Monday by Ekiti State police officers and transported to Ado Ekiti before being arraigned.
Adeosun said, “The defendant should file a formal application for bail. The matter is adjourned till Tuesday, December 10, 2024. The defendant is hereby ordered remanded at the Correctional Centre, Ado Ekiti.”
In an interview on Tuesday, Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeniran Akinwale, justified the arrest of Dele Farotimi on charges of alleged cyberbullying and defamation.
The CP said the offences allegedly committed by Farotimi included “defamation of character, cyberstalking and other things” noting that those two allegations were “fully established.”
He said, “We are investigating him (Farotimi). 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.”