Renowned lawyer and founder of Afe Babalola University, Aare Afe Babalola, has accused fellow legal practitioner and activist Dele Farotimi of defamation through claims made in his recently published book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.
Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), alleges that the book contains false and damaging statements about him, his law firm, and his associates, undermining their professional integrity and reputation.
In a formal petition to the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, dated November 19, 2024, Babalola detailed his grievances. The legal dispute originates from a Supreme Court ruling in 2013, which awarded 254 hectares of land in Lagos to Babalola’s client, the Gbadamosi Eletu family. Farotimi, representing an estate affected by the ruling, alleged in his book that Babalola’s legal team influenced the judiciary to secure a favorable decision.
The book accuses Babalola of “corrupting the Supreme Court” and questions the ethical practices of his law firm, Afe Babalola & Co. According to the petition, these accusations were intended to harm Babalola’s reputation and discredit his legal practice.
“I write to report the criminal defamation of myself, my law firm Afe Babalola & Co and my lawyers in person of Olu Daramola SAN and Ola Faro by one Dele Farotimi in his book titled ‘NIGERIA AND ITS CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM’ published by Dele Farotimi publishers in respect of Suit no: SC/146/2005: Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu & Ors V. H.R.H Oba Tijani Akinloye & Ors,” the petition read.
He claimed the book contained several defamatory statements that questioned his integrity and accused his law firm of unethical practices, including corrupting the judiciary.
He added, “Sometime on 2/11/2024, one of our lawyers while travelling through Murtala Muhammed Airport bought a book by Dele Farotimi titled ‘NIGERIA AND ITS CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM’ published by Dele Farotimi publishers. He read the said book and immediately brought it to my attention. Many of my lawyers also bought the said book and read same.”
Babalola stated that the book accused him of “corrupting the Supreme Court from ages past and had led it to commit the most egregious acts of evil and wanting injustice.”
The petition noted, “The said defamatory statements are detailed below:
“That Aare Afe Babalola corrupted the Supreme Court to procure a fraudulent judgement in the service of his client” See page IX.
“That Aare Afe Babalola, Olu Daramola, Olu Faro and the law offices of Afe Babalola & Co, (Emmanuel Chambers) compromised the Supreme Court and the remaining semblance of integrity it might have had when they went back to the Supreme Court and got the Court to swim in the sewer of corruption and shameful self-Abnegation”. See page X
“That Afe Babalola libeled me and the fact of the libel became known to me in a suit against Lawal Pedro SAN”. See page X.
“That I sued Afe Babalola SAN for libel and he leveraged his influence in the Judiciary to deny me justice”. See page X.”
The controversy took a legal turn when Farotimi was arrested in Lagos and transferred to Ado-Ekiti for arraignment on a 16-count charge of criminal defamation. On November 6, 2024, a magistrate court remanded him in custody.
Babalola’s petition also criticized the book’s wide circulation, including media coverage and social media discussions, which amplified the alleged defamatory content. He has requested the authorities to halt the book’s distribution, investigate the allegations, and address what he called Farotimi’s “disregard for the rule of law.”
Highlighting his six decades of legal service, Babalola stated that his career has been defined by integrity and professionalism. He urged the police to take swift action to protect his reputation and that of his law firm.
