Human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has been granted ₦30 million bail by a Magistrate Court in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The court also asked Farotimi to provide 3 sureties with a landed property within the jurisdiction.
He was told to refrain from media interviews and to submit his international passport. The case has been adjourned until 13th February 2025.
Farotimi, who has been remanded in a correctional centre in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital for over two weeks, arrived on the Magistrate Court premises around 9:45 am on Friday.
He was conveyed to the court premises in a prison’s van with a police escort, alighting while raising his hands up in appreciation of a cheering crowd outside the court.
His bail was granter by magistrate Abayomi Adeosun, who had, at the last sitting, reserved ruling till December 20 on the bail application and ordered that the activist be remanded in prison.
During the court proceedings, Farotimi pleaded not guilty to the 14-count charge preferred against him by the police.
His counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, had filed a preliminary objection asking the court to strike out the charge.
According to him, the charge before the court was unknown to law, and the offence of defamation was not recognised under the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.
Farotimi is being prosecuted before a chief magistrate’s court in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State for allegedly defaming a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Afe Babalola.
The arrest of the activist sparked public criticisms, with many Nigerians calling for his immediate release.
Opposition leaders, including former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Omoyele Sowore, among others, all joined in the call for the release of Farotimi. They accused the government of trying to suffocate dissenting voices.
Civil society organisations, including Amnesty International, also condemned Farotimi’s arrest and demanded his immediate release.
Amnesty International Nigeria had in one of its series of posts on X over the matter, said, “the Nigerian authorities must end repression of dissent and immediately and unconditionally release him (Frotimi).
Also, human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) condemned the arrest, describing it as illegal.
