Popular human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, who is facing allegations of cybercrime, has today finally been granted bail by the Ekiti State Magistrate Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
The activist was arrested following a petition by another lawyer, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN).
Farotimi’s bail application came days after the same court denied him (Farotomi) constitutional freedom.
He was granted N30 million bail with two sureties, with one of the latter mandatorily being a house owner.
The magistrate declared that Farotomi must submit his passport to the court registrar.
The court also held that he should not grant any media interview.
The case came up in suit no: MAD/1,476.C/2024, with the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police as the complainant and Farotimi the defendant.
The Farotimi matter has provoked serious controversy nationwide, even spilling into the Western world, and has opened up several previously unknown occurrences in the nation’s justice administration system.
Some charges against the human rights lawyer read: “That you Dele Farotimi ‘m’ sometimes in 2024 authored, published and circulated your book titled: “Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System” which was received and read all over the world including Ado-Ekiti within the Ado-Ekiti Magisterial District wherein you stated at page IX of the book: “That Aare Afe Babalola corrupted the Supreme Court to procure a fraudulent judgment in the service of his clients” which is likely to cause fear and alarm to the public or disturb the public peace knowing or having reason to believe that the Statements is false and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 59(1) of Criminal Code Act.
“That you Dele Farotimi ‘m’ sometimes in 2024 authored, published and circulated your book titled: “Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System” which was received and read all over the world including Ado-Ekiti within the Ado-Ekiti Magisterial District wherein you stated at page X: “That Aare Afe Babalola, Olu Daramola, Olu Faro and the law offices of Afe Babalola & Co, (Emmanuel Chambers) compromised the Supreme Court and the remaining semblance of integrity it might have had when they went back to the Supreme Court and got that Court to swim in the sewer of corruption and shameful self-abnegation which is likely to cause fear and alarm to the public or disturb the public peace knowing or having reason to believe that the Statements is false and thereby committed an offence.”