Earlier, Akelicious reported that Farotimi raised the alarm over alleged threats to his life by some Nigerian elites in collusion with the security agencies and some legal experts.
A human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has been arrested by the Nigerian police at Zone 2 in Lagos following a petition filed by Tony Elumelu, the chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group.
It was gathered that the petition alleged that Farotimi defamed Elumelu through statements made publicly.
Earlier, Akelicious reported that Farotimi raised the alarm over alleged threats to his life by some Nigerian elites in collusion with the security agencies and some legal experts.
Farotimi in the statement he personally signed and captioned, “They Want to Silence Me”, narrated how on November 11, he was informed that an invitation letter from the Zone 2, Police Command, was delivered to his office.
According to him, the letter requested that he should report to the station on November 13, at 10:00 AM.
The lawyer who said that he was accompanied by his legal counsel, noted that he arrived at the station at 9:45 AM on the stated date, and that at the station, he was presented with a petition written by a lawyer on behalf of Mr. Tony Elumelu, Chairman of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), accusing him of defamation.
“Despite finding the petition baseless, I addressed its content,” Farotimi said.
Meanwhile, Nigerian human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, on Tuesday, via his X handle, condemned Farotimi’s arrest and called for the immediate and unconditional release of the human rights lawyer.
According to Sowore, “I just learned that Dele Farotimi was arrested by Nigeria Police Force over a petition by Tony Elumelu of UBA Group alleging Dele defamed him.
“It is pertinent that the Nigerian police are notified that the institution cannot continue to be used to settle personal scores, and we, the citizens of Nigeria, would no longer tolerate such a situation.
“Therefore, the Police at Zone 2 in Lagos are advised to release Barrister Farotimi immediately,” he added.
