The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has rejected the request to disbar human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, over allegations of criminal defamation against legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Aare Afe Babalola.
The LPDC stated that it had no jurisdiction to adjudicate on the petition filed by Mr. Ola Faro, a lawyer in Afe Babalola’s law firm.
Faro’s request followed Afe Babalola’s legal battle against Farotimi over allegations of criminal defamation.
Babalola had complained to the police that Farotimi defamed him through a book he published, titled “Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.” Based on Babalola’s complaints, the police arraigned Farotimi twice, first before the magistrates’ court in Ado-Ekiti and then before the Federal High Court in Ekiti.
Farotimi pleaded not guilty to the charges on both occasions and was granted bail.
In the petition filed before the LPDC, Faro explained that Farotimi, in his book, referenced Suit No. SC/146/2006, between Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu and HRH Oba Tijani Akinloye and others, claiming corruption, bribery, and other unethical practices involving judicial officers and the legal community. The petition accused Farotimi of distorting case facts, disrespecting fellow lawyers, and engaging in actions that obstructed justice for personal gains.
However, LPDC Chairman Justice Isaq Bello stated that the petitioner’s request could not be granted due to jurisdictional limitations. The LPDC ruled that the alleged offences occurred in Farotimi’s capacity as an author, not during his practice as a legal professional.
The LPDC concluded that it lacked jurisdiction to address complaints about publications and advised aggrieved parties to seek redress in regular courts.
Meanwhile, Farotimi regained his freedom from prison on Tuesday after being detained for about three weeks. The magistrate court in Ado-Ekiti had earlier granted him N30m bail. In a video clip, the activist was seen thanking his allies and friends for standing by him. He also maintained that what he wrote in his controversial book was the truth.
“It is not ever an easy journey when you are fighting evil, but some years back, before I started this work, God told me that the truth is enough. It is the only weapon with which you can slay the monster called Nigeria, which is the truth. In my war against the evil empire that we all lived in, I have never lied against anyone. If I don’t know, I will say I don’t know,” he said.
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