The legal team of Aare Afe Babalola (SAN) has declared that the controversial writer cum activist, Dele Farotimi decided to write a defamatory book because of his failure to secure judgement for his clients in the court. The jurists declared that it’s against every good conscience and moral ethics to say what could not be verified with facts and proofs about people.
They added that the defamatory remarks, made against him by Farotimi, in his book, titled , “Nigeria and it’s Criminal Justice System,” were ” baseless, offensive and not only lacking in truth, but also designed to cause irreparable harm to the standing and legacy of one of Nigeria’s foremost legal minds.”
The team declared that the defamatory remarks in Farotimi’s book cannot be remedied by the award of damages.
The legal group however declared: “Once Mr. Dele Farotimi can show proof that his assertions in the book are true, then he will be free. Until then, the law allows free speech, but not one that is calculated to injure the good reputation of another.”
The team spoke on Friday at a press conference, held at the Afe Babalola Bar Centre, located at Judiciary complex in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
The media conference, was addressed by the trio of Mr Owoseni Ajayi, the lead counsel, who was former Justice Commissioner in Ekiti, and former chairman of NBA; Mr Olakanmi Falade, also former NBA Chairman in the state, and Mr Lawrence Fasanmi, another former NBA Chairman.
The press conference according to them became necessary to enlighten the public on the information surrounding the matter which they said doesn’t call for any public protest but rather to let judgement takes its course.
“Attention has been drawn to the various misleading publications, particularly in the social media, about the on-going matter between the Nigerian Police and one Mr. Dele Farotimi over his recent publication, titled “Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.”
“Ordinarily, we would have kept quite, since the matter is still in court. However, to prevent undiscerning members of the public from being misled by the obvious misrepresentations, it has become apposite for us to respond to same.
