Afenifere Faction Faults Arrest of Rights Activist Dele Farotimi

 

Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere has condemned the arrest of legal practitioner and civil rights activist, Dele Farotimi, from his Lagos office by operatives of the Nigerian police.

 

Speaking in a statement on Monday signed by its Deputy Leader, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, and National Publicity Secretary, Justice Faloye, described the incident as unacceptable in a democratic society.

 

The group called for the immediate release of the lawyer.

 

According to the group, the spokesperson of the Ekiti State Police, Sunday Abutu, stated that the arrest was based on a petition accusing Farotimi of defamatory comments against Chief Afe Babalola, SAN which was reportedly contained in his recent book.

 

Afenifere, however, described the allegations as insufficient to justify the “Gestapo-style arrest,” emphasizing that defamation is not a criminal offense.

 

“This act is an affront to democratic principles, and we demand his immediate release or his arraignment before a court of competent jurisdiction. Farotimi, like every citizen, is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” the group stated.

 

The group further expressed concerns over alleged plans to use legal technicalities to detain Farotimi for an extended period, saying, “There are rumours that the police and its sponsors aim to remand him in prison for 30 or more days under dubious pretences.”

 

Afenifere called on Nigerians and proponents of democracy to rise against what it described as “habitual crude and uncivilized tactics” by law enforcement agencies.

 

“These actions are akin to those of criminal gangs with no regard for the rights of citizens,” the statement added.