Victor Ezeja
Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has been denied bail and remanded in prison custody by a Magistrate Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
Farotimi was arraigned in court for allegedly defaming the founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelChief Babalola claimed that he has been defamed by Farotimi in his book ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System’, where the activist was said to have accused the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) of corrupting the Supreme Court judges.
Farotimi was arrested in Lagos last week and moved to Ekiti State where he was arraigned on a 16-count charge.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against him.
READ ALSO: SERAP, Amnesty International, Others Demand Release Of Dele Farotimi
Counsel to the police had urged the court to remand him in prison but the embattled activist’s counsel, argued that he be granted bail on liberal terms, citing presumption of innocence.
After arguments, Farotimi was granted bail in the sum of N50 million, among other conditions including a surety in like sum who must be resident in Ekiti State with a landed property.
However, at the resumed sitting on Tuesday, presiding magistrate, Abayomi Adeosun, adjourned ruling on the application for bail to 20 December after listening to argument of police prosecuting counsel, Samson Osobu, who proved that the bail application submitted by the defendant was incompetent and irregular.
Confirming the latest development via his X handle on Tuesday, former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, said “The ruling on @delefarotimi’s bail application was today adjourned till December 20.
“Dele Farotimi has been sent back to prison for the next 10 days. See what begging has done? #FreeDeleFarotimiNow.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
