Babalola and Farotimi
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Dele Farotimi
Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, has agreed to drop a criminal suit he instituted against activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, over alleged defamation.
The legal luminary succumbed to pressure to withdraw the case in the early hours of Monday morning, following a meeting with Ooni of lfe, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other Ekiti traditional rulers.
The meeting was held at the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti and was attended by the Ooni, the Chairman of Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers and the Olojudo of Ido Ekiti, Oba Ayorinde Ilori-Faboro; the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe; the Ajero of Ijero Ekiti, Oba Joseph Adewole: the Ogoga of Ikere Ekiti, Oba Adejimi Adu; the Oloye of Oye Ekiti, Oba Michael Ademolaju; and the Alaaye of Efon Ekiti, Oba Emmanuel Aladejare.
At the end of the meeting, Babalola promised he would instruct his lawyers to withdraw the suit against Farotimi.
He said several prominent Nigerians such as former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Kukah; and the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adejugbe had written to him and also visited him in the past to appeal to him to withdraw the suit but he refused to listen to them.
Babalola said with the intervention of Ooni and other traditional rulers, he had no choice but to withdraw the case.
The owner of Afe Babalola University said he decided to institute the case to protect his name having risen from the humble beginning as a farm boy to becoming a successful lawyer. He noted that while other lawyers and judges mentioned by Farotimi in his book as being corrupt did not bother to clear their names, he felt the need to clear his own name.
“If you go through the pamphlet (Farotimi’s book), you will find that he attacked many judges by names, he attacked Supreme Court judges, and none is bothered, but I am bothered. I am bothered because of where and how I started life, from the farm to where I am.
“There is nothing I am going to gain from his imprisonment. There is nothing I am going to gain from so-called damages. I am not in quest of more wealth, rather how to spend what I have for the benefit of others. The only time I am happy is when I give.
“The request is simple: take away this criminal case in court. When Obasanjo wrote, he came here, I said no. When Kukah phoned and came, I said no, but on this occasion, I said yes. Thank you Kabiyesis. I will speak to my lawyers to withdraw it,”Afe Babalola said.
Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of lfe lauded Babalola for listening to the traditional rulers and accepting to let go of the matter.
The Ooni assured Babalola that “nobody can tarnish your name’ adding that he has built his name over the years through hard work.
“Your name is more than silver and gold and you have stood for your name with the message that nobody can joke with your name. We are using our race because some of our elders in Yorubaland and even beyond Yorubaland have spoken, but combining forces with the traditional institution, we have heard you, enough, enough and enough. Your name is intact. We have resolved the matter in our own way, we have done the needful,” he said.
It is recalled that Afe Babalola had petitioned the Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State against Dele Farotimi, alleging that the activist defamed him in his book, titled: ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.’ This had led to Farotimi’s arrest and arraignment before the Federal High Court in Ekiti. He was later granted a N50 million bail by the court.
