Another Ekiti Court Strikes Out Defamation Charge Against Farotimi
A Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, on Thursday struck out defamation charges against human rights lawyer, Mr. Dele Farotimi.
The police in Ekiti State had arraigned Farotimi for allegedly defaming the renowned legal figure, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN). Initially, Farotimi was remanded and later granted bail in the sum of N30 million by the court, which was presided over by Chief Magistrate Abayomi Adesun.
Earlier, on January 29, 2025, the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti had also struck out similar charges against Farotimi.
During Thursday’s proceedings, the prosecution, led by Martins Akala, announced the decision to withdraw the charges against Farotimi. Akala, who heads the legal department of the state CID, informed the court, saying, “The matter is slated for hearing today. However, we want to seek the leave of the court for withdrawal of the pending charges against the defendant on the instruction of the police authority.”
Farotimi’s lead counsel, Mr. Adejare Kembi, stated that they had no objection to the prosecution’s request to withdraw the case.
Following the agreement from both parties, Magistrate Adesun struck out the case, stating, “The charge is hereby struck out.”
Speaking to the media after the ruling, Adejare Kembi expressed satisfaction with the decision, saying, “The case was struck out based on the application of the prosecution. We welcome it. They brought us here, and they asked us to go. They have just removed the chain they brought.”
He continued, “Why should we complain? We were in court today to follow up on our case, which was for hearing. The prosecution says ‘we are withdrawing,’ and we agreed.”
It is also worth noting that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, along with other prominent traditional rulers in Ekiti State, had intervened in the case, appealing to Aare Babalola to withdraw the defamation charges against Farotimi.
