The court has granted Farotimi N30m bail.
Glamtush reports that a magistrates’ court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, has granted N30 million bail to embattled lawyer and human rights activist Dele Farotimi.
At the hearing of the bail application on Friday, Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun ruled in favour of Farotimi’s bail request.
The magistrate stipulated that ‘The bail conditions included two responsible sureties and required Farotimi to surrender his international passport to the court.”
Additionally, he was told to refrain from media interviews and to submit his passport. The case has been adjourned till 13th February 2025.
Before the bail ruling, Adeosun ruled that Farotimi’s lead counsel, Olumide Fusika, SAN, is prohibited from appearing before the court.
The magistrate cited section 9 of the Magistrate’s Courts Law 2014 to back his decision.
The activist has pleaded not guilty to the defamation charge.
Farotimi, who has been remanded in a correctional centre in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital for over two weeks, arrived at the Magistrate Court premises around 9:45 am on Friday.
He was conveyed to the court premises in a prison van with a police escort, alighting while raising his hands in appreciation of a cheering crowd outside the court.
His bail comes after the magistrate, Abayomi Adeosun, 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 that was 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 the 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 criticism with many Nigerians calling for his immediate release.
Opposition leaders including former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and 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.
