Dele Farotimi thanks Nigerians for support after 21-day detention

Human rights advocate and author Dele Farotimi has thanked Nigerians for rallying behind him during his recent 21-day detention at the Ekiti State Correctional Centre.

Farotimi was remanded by an Ekiti State Magistrate Court on allegations of defaming Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Afe Babalola in his book Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.

He regained his freedom on December 24 after meeting the bail conditions set at N30 million. In an emotional social media interview following his release, Farotimi broke down in tears, expressing his gratitude for the overwhelming support he received.

“We stopped being humans because we became Nigerians. They divided us, and we fell for it. But you didn’t see me as a Yoruba man or a Christian—you spoke for me. Because you spoke, Nigeria could not happen to me,” Farotimi said.

Meanwhile, a petition by Emmanuel Chambers, Afe Babalola’s law firm, seeking to disbar Farotimi for alleged unethical conduct, was dismissed by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC).

The committee, chaired by Isaq Bello, ruled that the allegations were tied to Farotimi’s role as an author, not his legal practice.