by Chuks Oluigbo

Rovingheights bookstore in Lagos State has pulled down Dele Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, from its website, Nigeria News Source can confirm.

Another bookstore in Ikeja, Lagos, Glendora Bookshop, has also reportedly instructed its staff to withdraw all copies of Farotimi’s book from its bookshelves across its stores nationwide.

These actions are in compliance with an order of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, barring Farotimi from further publishing, selling, circulating, advertising or distributing the hard or soft copies of Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.

A search for Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System on the website of Rovingheights on Thursday morning showed Error 404, meaning that the page is no longer available.

Nigeria News Source cannot, however, confirm whether Rovingheights has also removed the physical copies of the book from its stores.

But Glendora Bookshop has, according to a report by SaharaReporters quoting staff members of the bookstore.

A staff member of the bookstore was said to have confirmed the directive on Wednesday, saying the order was given by the Managing Director.

“The owner of the Glendora Bookshop has directed that we should remove the book from the shelves immediately and return to the publishers. As we speak, all the copies of the book have been removed from our shelves. In short we don’t have any copy left in our store now,” SaharaReporters quoted the staff member to have said.

The book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, is, however, still very much available on Amazon and other online bookstores checked by Nigeria News Source as at 8:00 am on Thursday.

The author of the book, Dele Farotimi, a human rights lawyer and activist, is facing a 16-count charge bordering on defaming of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, in the book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, as well as a 12-count charge bordering on cybercrime stemming from the alleged defamation. Farotimi pleaded not guilty to all the charges. He was, however, remanded in custody.

On Wednesday, Justice Peter Kekemeke of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory granted an order barring Farotimi from further publishing, selling, circulating, advertising or distributing the hard or soft copies of Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.

Justice Kekemeke, who gave the order after listening to the ex-parte application filed by the Managing Partner at Afe Babalola’s law firm, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), also temporarily barred the agents, publishers, distributors, sellers, re-publishers, re-sellers, or any other person from further publishing, selling, circulating, advertising, or distributing the physical/hard/digital/soft copies of the book online, electronically, physically or by any other means, including the social media.

The judge granted the order pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction dated and filed on December 6, 2024.

The judge also granted an order of interim injunction directing the Nigerian Police Force, State Security Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and all other security agencies to seize all physical copies of the book, wherever they may be found, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

The court further ordered the relevant security agencies to file an affidavit demonstrating that they have complied with the orders within 72 hours of their receipt of the ruling.

In a related development, an Oyo State High Court also granted an interim order restraining Farotimi or any person acting through him from further printing the book.

Justice Mufutau Adegbola granted the interim order at the instance of a senior partner in the law firm of Afe Babalola, Adebayo Adenipekun (SAN), who approached the court on Wednesday via an ex-parte application dated December 9, 2024, on behalf of the firm.

After listening to the senior advocate, Justice Adegbola granted the order in the interim and directed that Farotimi’s lawyers be put on notice.

The motion on notice for interlocutory injunction was then adjourned to January 7, 2025.