Afe Babalola: Sowore Makes Fresh Claims On Dele Farotimi

Renowned activist, Omoyele Sowore, has raised concerns about a purported conspiracy among influential elites aimed at leaving the beleaguered human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, incarcerated due to his defamation case involving Afe Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

Naija News reports that the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate for the 2023 general election made this assertion in a statement shared via his X account on Friday.

Sowore’s comments were in response to actions taken by Afe Babalola’s law firm, represented by partner Ola Faro, who has submitted a petition to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) seeking to remove Farotimi from the register of legal practitioners in Nigeria.

Babalola had based his request on the premise that Farotimi violated certain provisions of the rules of professional conduct for lawyers.

The 90-page petition, dated December 6, 2024, was signed by Ola Faro, a partner at the firm.

It is worth noting that Faro was also referenced in Farotimi’s book, “Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.”

However, Sowore has alleged that this scheme is being orchestrated by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, along with judges and other politically connected lawyers in the country.

He pledged to advocate for justice on behalf of Farotimi.

“This was the plan from the onset. It involves a conspiracy between powerful judicial caricatures, the @policeng, led by IGP Kayode Egbetokun, judges, and so-called influential politically exposed lawyers.

“The goal is to abandon @DeleFarotimi in a prison controlled by them with the help of a kangaroo magistrate court, essentially fighting him while his hands are tied behind his back.

“However, they got it all wrong! The fight will not end until justice is done,” Sowore wrote on his X handle.

Recall that a court ruling on Tuesday resulted in Farotimi being remanded in custody, as his bail application has been postponed until December 20, 2024.

On December 3, 2024, he was taken into custody by the police in connection with an alleged defamation related to his book, ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.’