Afe Babalola, Dele Farotimi
Alleged defamation: Afe Babalola agrees to withdraw suit against Farotimi after Ooni, other monarchs’ visit
Legal luminary and elder statesman, Afe Babalola, is ready to withdraw his criminal defamation suit against rights activist, Dele Farotimi.
Babalola had sued Farotimi in an Ado Ekiti Magistrates’ Court following Farotimi’s publication of a book which allegedly defamed him.
Babalola’s decision to withdraw his suit after the intervention of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Sunday night.
The Ooni, who was at the elder statesman’s residence at Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti, ABUAD, pleaded with him to withdraw the suit.
The Ooni arrived at ABUAD at about 10:30 pm and was accompanied by other top Yoruba traditional rulers.
Other traditional rulers, who came in companied the Ooni to Afe Babalola included the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Ogoga of Ikere-Ekiti, Oloye of Oye-Ekiti, Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti and Olojudo of Ido- Ekiti, among others.
Responding, Babalola said he had received several letters, as well as calls on the issue from eminent Nigerians, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Bishop Hassan Kukah to withdraw the suit.
Babalola, who agreed to the latest pleas by the visiting traditional rulers, said he had nothing to gain in Farotimi’s jail.
The traditional rulers extracted a commitment from Babalola to withdraw the suit.
According to him, he would direct his lawyers to withdraw the case.
The Ooni had stated earlier that the Yoruba leaders and the traditional institutions had followed the development keenly.
Consequently, he said he and others resolved to intervene so that Babalola, ”can pardon his son, Farotimi.”
He commended the legal icon for building his integrity over the years and urged him not to relent following the development, as the meeting ended at about midnight.
Babalola had recently instituted a case against Farotimi before an Ekiti Magistrates’ court, claiming criminal defamation in the latter’s controversial book, ”Nigeria and its Criminal Justice system.”
The court granted Farotimi N30 million bail.