‘Afe Babalola not persecuting Farotimi’

A group of loyalists of the founder of Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, under the auspices of Justice for Afe Babalola Legacy, has debunked reports making the rounds that human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, is being persecuted by the elder statesman.

Farotimi, who has been remanded in prison for the past two weeks, is facing a criminal defamation trial at the Magistrate Court in Ado-Ekiti for allegedly defaming Babalola in his recently published book titled ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’.

The group stated that the legal tussle against the human rights lawyer was to protect the hard-earned reputation and legacies of Babalola, who has contributed to the development of the nation’s judicial system for the past sixty years.

Addressing journalists at the weekend in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, the publicity secretary of the group, Rotimi Opeyeoluwa, and the convener, Femi Alufa, argued that contrary to insinuations in the public space, the legal process would be pursued to its logical conclusion to ensure justice for either side in the case.

Opeyeoluwa said: “Aare Afe Babalola is an officer in the temple of justice, a firm and unyielding believer in the sanctity of the law, for which he has given 61 years of his illustrious life. A lawyer first and foremost, a humanist, but an individual who is not ready to surrender his right to protect his name and reputation, which he has meticulously built over the years.

“The idea being peddled by some misguided, mischievous, and ignorant commentators that Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, is persecuting Mr. Dele Farotimi is unfounded and baseless.

“These characters are poor students of history because Aare is larger than them and has put in place enormous legacies that will stand the test of time and outlive us all.

“It is time to call upon all men and women of good conscience to be guided by the facts of the matter. There is no persecution. It is a blatant lie. There is a judicial-prosecutorial process at play. We need to have that understanding and be so guided by this fact. It is no exaggeration that Aare Afe Babalola has paid his dues. Aare Afe Babalola cannot be rubbished by upstarts or emergent human rights advocates whose stock in trade is to trade in lies and bullying.

“Advocacy is not the same as peddling lies and resolutely failing to present as much as a shred of evidence to back up claims that have been permanently put into a self-published book.

“Mr Dele Farotimi has nothing to fear but the reward of his actions as prescribed by the law — nothing more, nothing less. Mr Dele Farotimi read law and has practised law for a while in the country. Perhaps many of his followers are not lawyers, hence the resort to the court of public opinion where they clamor with all kinds of illogicalities. We are not distracted. We are focused. We shall remain in the courts and ensure that justice is served to both Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, and Mr. Dele Farotimi.

“Our story is simple, which is that Mr Dele Farotimi is not under any weight of persecution; rather, he is facing a prosecutorial process. Let us be guided by this truth and leave needless distractions.”

On his part, Alufa expressed optimism in the judiciary to expeditiously deliver justice in the case in a bid to preserve the reputation and legacies of the nonagenarian.

“The Nigerian judiciary is taking necessary urgent steps on the case of Afe Babalola versus Dele Farotimi since a few weeks ago, and we believe that the court will deliver fair justice in this matter, which is one of the most urgent legal issues of our time.

“And while the judiciary needs to move fast, the solutions must be just and unbiased. We believe that there will not be any scintilla of cover-up in this case.

“Aare Afe Babalola is a great man who has been standing for democracy and freedom of the press, advancing human rights and justice, feeding the hungry, and raising people from poverty,” he said.