Dailyreport
Dele Farotimi, a human rights attorney, is arrested by police
After a complainant filed a defamation petition, human rights attorney Dele Farotimi was taken into custody by officers from Zone 2 Command in Lagos.Dele Farotimi, a human rights attorney, is arrested by police
According to sources, the petition claimed that in a public setting, Farotimi had made disparaging remarks about the complainant.
After a complainant filed a defamation petition, human rights attorney Dele Farotimi was taken into custody by officers from Zone 2 Command in Lagos.
According to sources, the petition claimed that in a public setting, Farotimi had made disparaging remarks about the complainant.
Farotimi has previously expressed alarm over purported threats against his life, alleging that Nigerian elites were working with security services and solicitors to coerce him.
In a statement headed “They Want to Silence Me,” the attorney described how he was invited by the police on November 11 to report to Zone 2 Command on November 13 at 10:00 AM.
On the designated date, Farotimi reportedly came at the station at 9:45 AM accompanied by his attorney.
“A lawyer’s petition accusing me of defamation was presented to me at the station,” Farotimi said. “I addressed the petition’s content even though I thought it was unfounded.”
Prominent human rights advocate Omoyele Sowore has called for Farotimi’s immediate release in response to the detention, which has drawn widespread outrage.
Sowore attacked the Police for allegedly using them as a vehicle for personal complaints in a message posted on his X (formerly Twitter) page.
Notifying the Nigerian Police that the institution can no longer be used to settle personal scores is important.
And as Nigerian citizens, we would no longer put up with this.
“Therefore, it is recommended that the Lagos Police in Zone 2 release Barrister Farotimi right away,” he wrote.
