The Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, has granted Dele Farotimi, a lawyer and human rights activist bail in the sum of N50 million.
Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the 2023 election, disclosed this via his X handle on Monday.
“The first hurdle was crossed. #DeleFarotimi was granted bail of N50 million surety in the like sum with someone with landed property. The case was adjourned to January 29, 2025,” the tweet read.
In another tweet, Sowore noted that Farotimi’s “farcical trial” would continue tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Magistrate Court in the state capital, “over a non-existent offence in Ekiti law books.”
“We’ve asked the Attorney-General of Ekiti State to discontinue the trial immediately,” Sowore added.
On Wednesday, December 7, 20204, Farotimi was remanded in prison custody by the Ado-Ekiti magistrate court following his arrest on 16 counts of criminal defamation.
Farotimi’s trial comes on the heels of his alleged defamation of a renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria and founder of the Afe Babalola University, Aare Afe Babalola, in his recently published book, titled, ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.’
According to a petition dated November 19, 2024, and addressed to the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale; Babalola detailed how his law firm discovered Farotimi’s book, adding that the accusation stems from a Supreme Court judgment involving a land dispute that spanned over two decades.
Babalola stated that the book accused him of “corrupting the Supreme Court from ages past and had led it to commit the most egregious acts of evil and wanting injustice.”
