I’ll Salute Afe Babalola, But The Battle Isn’t Over – Farotimi

Activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has stated that despite the withdrawal of criminal charges against him, he is still weighing his legal options over his 21-day incarceration and ongoing legal battles.

Speaking on The Duke Rants podcast, published on Saturday, Farotimi was asked what he would say if he met Chief Afe Babalola today.

“Like a good Yoruba boy, I’ll give him his salutations. It doesn’t change the fact that I’m still considering my options as regards what to do about what I went through,” he stated.

When pressed on what legal options he was exploring, he replied, “Oh, all the areas of options that are open to a person who was unlawfully kidnapped from his office, hauled before a magistrate for a non-existent crime.”

Questions Legality Of His Arrest

Farotimi detailed the irregularities surrounding his arrest, accusing law enforcement officials of violating standard legal procedures.

“Policemen crossed five state lines, entered a sixth state—from Ekiti to Ondo, to Osun, to Oyo, to Ogun, and then crossed into Lagos. Somebody has to explain the basis of my incarceration for 21 days,” he said.

Earlier in February, Farotimi revealed that despite Afe Babalola withdrawing his petition, he still faces four separate lawsuits filed by members of Babalola’s law office in different states.

“My inability to speak to certain aspects of this issue is borne out of the fact that, despite the discontinuation of the criminal proceeding, I still have four suits that I am aware of, in four different states of the federation, filed by members of the same law office, against my person,” he disclosed.

His legal troubles began when Babalola petitioned the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, alleging that Farotimi defamed him in his book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.

Following his arrest, he was arraigned before an Ekiti State Magistrate Court for alleged criminal defamation and also before the Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti for alleged cyber-bullying.

On January 27, Babalola announced the withdrawal of the cases, following interventions by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other traditional rulers. However, Farotimi’s legal battles are far from over.

Farotimi Defends His Book, Challenges Critics

Farotimi strongly defended his book, stating that it was based on research and personal experience, not fabrications.

“I did not sit down in a beer parlour; I was not at an officers’ mess; I was not gossiping. It was not idle, cheap talk. I wrote a book,” he declared.

He dared anyone to challenge the content of his book based on facts, “Let us deal with veracity. Anybody can go and read and then come back and challenge me with the lie that I have told.”

Farotimi dismissed claims that the controversy was about his personal reputation, insisting that the real issue at stake was Nigeria’s legal system.

“This is not a trial of Dele Farotimi. Let nobody make that error. It is a trial of the legal system that we have built as a collective,” he asserted.

He also clarified that his book was not a personal attack on Babalola but a critique of systemic corruption within the judiciary.

“Chief Afe Babalola is more than old enough to be my father.

“I did not set out to destroy the man or tarnish his image. Nothing personal. I was writing about the institution of the judiciary,” he said.