A Magistrate Court in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, has deferred its decision on the bail application by Dele Farotimi to December 20.
The magistrate, Abayomi Adeosun, asked that Dele Farotimi be remanded in prison till December 20 when his bail application will be heard.
Dele Farotimi, a human rights lawyer, activist, and author of the now popular Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, was arrested in Lagos last week Tuesday and bundled to Ekiti, where he was arraigned before a Magistrates Court on charges that he defamed a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), 95-year-old Aare Afe Babalola, in his book. Farotimi pleaded not guilty to the 16-count charge but the magistrate ordered that he be remanded in custody till December 10.
Farotimi’s legal team, led by Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), on Monday filed a preliminary objection asking the court to strike out the suit against the activist.
In the five grounds of appeal, Farotimi’s legal team argued, among other things, that the charge before the court is unknown to the law, does not exist and that the magistrate acted without jurisdiction on the basis of an incompetent charge.
Meanwhile, last Friday, the office of the Inspector General of Police filed a fresh case against Farotimi at the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti. The 12-count charge bordered on cybercrime stemming from alleged defamation of Babalola.
On Monday, December 9, Farotimi was arraigned in handcuffs before the court, where he pleaded not guilty to all 12 counts of cybercrime.
Following a bail application by the defence team, which was opposed by the prosecution, the judge, Babs Kuewumi, granted Farotimi bail in the sum of N50 million and adjourned the trial till 29 January 2025.
