- LPDC Declines Babalola’s Petition To Debar Farotimi Over Defamation Allegations
Human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has regained freedom from the correctional centre in Ekiti State after meeting stringent bail conditions set by a magistrate court in Ado-Ekiti.
Farotimi, released on Tuesday morning, was granted bail last Friday. The requirements included a N30 million bond, two sureties (one of whom must be a property owner), submission of his passport, and a prohibition on granting media interviews post-release.
Speaking briefly after his release, Farotimi reaffirmed his integrity, stating: “I have never had any cause to lie against anyone in my life. Whatever I have said about someone or an institution is true.”
Farotimi’s legal battle has attracted significant public attention, with debates over his outspoken advocacy and allegations against institutions.
Meanwhile, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has dismissed a petition from Chief Afe Babalola’s Emmanuel Chambers seeking the revocation of Dele Farotimi’s legal license over allegations of criminal defamation and professional misconduct.
The petition, authored by lawyer Ola Faro of Emmanuel Chambers, alleged that Farotimi defamed the Supreme Court and the legal profession in his book, Nigeria and Criminal Justice System. Specific claims included corruption and unethical practices involving judicial officers.
READ ALSO: Defamation Brouhaha: Afe Babalola Petitions LPDC To Disbar Farotimi
However, the LPDC ruled that the alleged actions pertained to Farotimi’s role as an author, not his practice as a lawyer, and advised aggrieved parties to pursue the matter in regular courts.
LPDC Chairman Justice Isaq Bello affirmed that the committee lacked jurisdiction to handle complaints related to publications.
Emmanuel Chambers had argued that Farotimi’s book violated professional conduct rules and distorted facts of Supreme Court judgments, but the LPDC maintained that intellectual publications fall outside its purview.
This decision reinforces that legal professionals remain accountable for their conduct in practice, while other grievances tied to their intellectual works should be addressed in conventional legal settings.
