Police arrest human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi
By Jeffrey Agbo
Human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has been arrested by the police following a petition by chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group, Tony Elumelu, alleging defamation.
Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, disclosed the development on Tuesday via his social media account, calling for Farotimi’s immediate release and accusing the police of being used to settle personal disputes.
“I just learned that Dele Farotimi was arrested by the Nigerian Police over a petition by Tony Elumelu of UBA Group alleging Dele defamed him,” he wrote.
Farotimi, in a statement titled “They Want to Silence Me,” accused law enforcement of harassment and unconventional intimidation tactics. He detailed that the situation began on November 11, 2024, when he received a police invitation to appear at Zone 2 Police Command in Lagos.
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On November 13, 2024, Farotimi, accompanied by his legal counsel, presented himself to the police and addressed the defamation petition filed by Elumelu’s legal representatives. While he considered the petition “baseless,” he was released on self-recognizance bail and asked to return on November 21.
Farotimi alleged that after his release, the police tracked his location, harassed his domestic staff, and made attempts to lure him under suspicious pretences.
He also claimed that members of a church were interrogated by officers who attempted to involve them in a scheme to facilitate his arrest in Ekiti State.
