The Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti has dismissed the defamation case brought against activist lawyer, Dele Farotimi, by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over allegations of cybercrime.
The case arose from comments Farotimi made during an interview about his book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System, which included remarks regarding the founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola.
At the court hearing on Wednesday, the complainant’s lawyer, Samson Osobu, informed the court that a notice of discontinuance had been filed.
Osobu cited Section 108(1)(2)(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, explaining that the prosecution sought the withdrawal of the case following intervention by well-meaning Nigerians and a formal request from Afe Babalola to drop the charges.
Defendant counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), did not oppose the decision to withdraw the case. In response, Justice Babs Kuewumi officially struck out the suit.
After the ruling, Olumide-Fusika told journalists that the case had been resolved in Ado Ekiti but refrained from discussing related cases ongoing in courts in Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and the Magistrate Court in Ado Ekiti.
He also mentioned that he had advised Farotimi not to give any press interviews regarding the matter.
The decision to withdraw the charges was influenced by the intervention of prominent traditional leaders, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and followed Afe Babalola’s announcement that he would instruct his legal team to drop the defamation charges.