A leading figure of Afe Babalola’s law firm has sued Dele Farotimi for N500 million over his alleged defamatory book in a legal effort that also seeks to stop the distribution of the fast-selling book.
Kehinde Ogunwumiju, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and managing partner at Afe Babalola & Co., alleged in his suit that Mr Farotimi’s book, titled, ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System,’ is defamatory against the law firm and its lawyers.
He stated in the suit filed at the FCT High Court in Abuja that excerpts from the book portrayed him, the law firm, and its lawyers as unethical, suggesting they were often involved in bribing judges and manipulating the judicial system.
The 104-page book accused the law firm of “compromising the integrity of the Supreme Court,” scheming with “crooked lawyers and incompetent justices,” and “doctoring” a Supreme Court judgement.
It also accused Mr Babalola of corrupting the Supreme Court in the service of his clients.
“The words complained of are not only false, but also malicious, reckless and defamatory,” Mr Ogunwumiju’s suit read in part.
He denied ever being involved in any judicial corruption in his long years of practice as a lawyer, despite handling high-profile cases.
This suit adds to Mr Farotimi’s legal challenges, as criminal defamation and cybercrime cases, prompted by Mr Babalola’s petition to the police, are already pending against him in both the Chief Magistrate’s Court and the Federal High Court, in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.
Mr Farotimi has denied the charges in both cases.
In his suit filed on 6 December, Mr Ogunwumiju seeks ₦500 million in damages and a court order to halt the sale and distribution of the book, which has gained tremendous traction, reaching a top spot on Amazon’s bestseller list within days of a police action against Mr Farotimi following Mr Babalola’s petition last week.
On Tuesday, the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ado Ekiti adjourned until 20 December to rule on Mr Farotimi’s bail application.
The development came barely 24 hours after the Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti granted him N50 million bail in the cybercrime case.
Mr Farotimi, handcuffed, attended proceedings in both courts from prison on Monday and Tuesday.
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