Aare Afe Babalola SAN, the founder of Afe Babalola University in Ado Ekiti, consented to abandon the lawsuits filed against activist and lawyer Dele Farotimi on Monday morning.
Following Babalola’s plea to the Ekiti State police commissioner alleging that Farotimi defamed him in a book titled ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System,’ the police detained the activist lawyer and prosecuted him in two Ekiti courts.
As a result, Farotimi faced trial for alleged criminal defamation in an Ekiti State Magistrate Court in Ado Ekiti District, as well as accused cyberbullying in the Ado Ekiti Division of the Federal High Court.
However, Babalola spoke at ABUAD following the intervention of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other senior traditional rulers at midnight meeting, said, he had agreed to withdraw the criminal case, saying, “I will tell my lawyers to withdraw the case.”
The Chairman of the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers and the Olojudo of Ido Ekiti, Oba Ayorinde Ilori-Faboro; the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe; the Ajero of Ijero Ekiti, Oba Joseph Adewole; the Ogoga of Ikere Ekiti, Oba Adejimi Adu; the Oloye of Oye Ekiti, Oba Michael Ademolaju; and the Alaaye of Efon Ekiti, Oba Emmanuel Alade.
Babalola, who emphasized the importance of the Yoruba traditional institution and its power, added, “The monarchs are here; they have appealed to me over a criminal charge involving someone who claimed I was corrupt.”
The senior counsel stated that he felt so awful that Farotimi accused him of winning all of his cases by corruption; thus, he rejected all previous appeals to him to take the cases out of court.
