A MAGISTRATE Court in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, has granted N30 million bail to Dele Farotimi, a lawyer and human rights activist facing trial for alleged defamation of a fellow senior lawyer, Afe Babalola.

The court’s judge, Abayomi Adeosun, granted Farotimi’s bail application on Friday, December, 20.

The bail conditions include two sureties, who must be responsible citizens and the defendant’s international passport seized by the court.

As part of the bail condition, Farotimi was restricted from media interviews during the pendency of the case.

Farotimi, renowned for his criticism of human rights abuses and advocacy for justice, was arrested following a petition filed by Babalola, a senior advocate and founder of Afe Babalola University.

 Babalola claimed the accused defamed him in his book titled: ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System’.

The charges, detailed under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015, centre on allegations of defamation stemming from Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.

The ICIR reported that the court denied the activist bail and remanded him in prison.

The case, with suit number MAD/1,476.C/2024, lists the Ekiti State commissioner of police as the complainant. 

It quoted court filings as saying excerpts from the book allegedly made damaging remarks about Babalola, referring to him in disparaging terms.

The filing shows the prosecution arguing that such descriptions were intended to harm the senior advocate’s reputation.

The ICIR reported how the police arrested Farotimi on Tuesday, December 3 in Lagos State. His arrest was exposed by the 2023 African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, in a post on his X handle.

Farotimi was subsequently transferred to Ekiti State, where he was later detained by the State Police Command.

His arrest sparked outrage, with notable figures like the former vice president Atiku Abubakar, and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, describing it as a gross misuse of police powers and an assault on democracy and justice.

Also, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) condemned his arrest, while also demanding his immediate release.

The NBA strongly condemned the alleged invasion of Farotimi’s law firm and the harassment of lawyers and staff within the premises by the police.

The NBA described the police actions as a troubling breach of the rule of law and the sanctity of the legal profession.

On December 11, a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) issued an interim order banning the sale of Farotimi’s book in which he allegedly defamed the litigant.