Court Strikes Out IGP’s Defamation Suit Against Dele Farotimi

Thursday January 30, 2025 | TheNewsDESK

The Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday dismissed the defamation case filed by Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun against activist lawyer Dele Farotimi.

The suit, which accused Farotimi of cybercrime over comments in an interview about his book Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System, was formally withdrawn.

Prosecution counsel Samson Osobu informed the court that a notice of discontinuance had been filed earlier in the day.

“The matter is slated for hearing today, but we have filed a notice of discontinuance dated January 29, 2025, and filed this morning,” Osobu stated.

Citing Section 108(1)(2)(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, he said, “The prosecution, with the leave of this honourable court, seeks to withdraw the charge against the defendant and pray that the charge be struck out.”

He attributed the withdrawal to interventions by well-meaning Nigerians and a request from the nominal complainant, Afe Babalola, to discontinue the case.

Defence counsel Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN) did not oppose the move, leading Justice Babs Kuewumi to rule, “This case is hereby struck out.”

After the ruling, Olumide-Fusika told journalists that the matter had been concluded in Ado Ekiti but declined to discuss similar cases still pending in Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and the Magistrate Court in Ado Ekiti.

He also noted that he had advised Farotimi against granting press interviews on the issue.

The case withdrawal followed interventions by prominent traditional rulers, led by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

On Monday, Afe Babalola had announced his decision to instruct his lawyers to drop the defamation charges against Farotimi.
|FirstNEWS|