Courts Stop Further Sale of Farotimi’s Book Over Alleged Defamation

Courts Stop Further Sale of Farotimi’s Book Over Alleged Defamation
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Human Rights Advocate and Lawyer Dele Farotimi was prohibited by a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja on Wednesday from publishing, selling, distributing, promoting, or advertising his book, “Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System,” in hard or soft copy.

An Oyo State High Court issued a similar ruling and granted an interim order prohibiting Farotimi or anyone acting on his behalf from printing the contentious book any further.
Due to the contentious book, the activist lawyer is currently involved in a legal battle.

Farotimi has been charged by the police in both the Ekiti State Magistrates’ Court in Ado-Ekiti and the Federal High Court in Ekiti State.

Aare Afe Babalola, a prominent lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, filed a petition alleging that Farotimi had defamed him in his book, leading to the charges, which veer toward defamation and cyberbullying.

The police claim that in the book, Farotimi charged Babalola and other SANs with corrupting Supreme Court justices.
Farotimi has been placed under remand in prison subsequent to his arraignment in court.
An ex parte application filed by Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), the managing partner at Afe Babalola’s legal practice, asking for the confiscation of the contentious book was heard by Justice Peter Kekemeke in Abuja on Wednesday.

In granting Ogunwumiju’s prayers, the judge barred “the agents, publishers, distributors, sellers, re-publishers, re-sellers, or any other person from further publishing, selling, circulating, advertising, or distributing the physical/hard/digital/soft copies of the book online, electronically, physically or by any other means, including the social media.”

The judge also granted an order of interim injunction “directing the seizure of all physical copies of the book, wherever they may be found by the Nigeria Police Force, the State Security Service, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and all other security agencies.”

The order was issued while the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction, which was filed on December 6, 2024, is being heard and decided.

Additionally, the court mandated that within 72 hours of receiving the decision, the appropriate security agencies submit an affidavit attesting to their compliance with the orders.
In a related development, the Oyo State High Court issued an interim order prohibiting Farotimi or anyone acting on his behalf from printing the contentious book any further.

Adebayo Adenipekun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, filed an ex parte application on behalf of the Afe Babalola law firm, and Justice Mufutau Adegbola granted the order.

The hearing for this case’s motion for an interlocutory injunction is set for January 7, 2025.

According to reports, Farotimi was taken into custody by Nigerian Police officers on December 2 as criticism of the manner of his arrest persisted.
On Wednesday, December 4, he appeared before a magistrate’s court after being taken by the police from Lagos to Ekiti State.

On Wednesday, the Ado Ekiti Division Chief Magistrates’ Court ordered his remand in the state prison.

After claiming in his book that Afe Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, had compromised the Supreme Court, Farotimi was charged with defamation of character.

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