Human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi’s arrest illegal, says Falana

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has confirmed that human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi was arrested over an alleged criminal libel.

Farotimi’s arrest was revealed by the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, in a post on his X handle on Tuesday.

In a statement he signed, Falana disclosed that Farotimi was arrested in Lagos State over alleged defamation on Tuesday, stating that his arrest was illegal.

Falana demanded Farotimi’s unconditional release from police custody, noting that Lagos State is among the two states in Nigeria that have decriminalised defamation.

The statement read, “I just confirmed that Mr. Dele Farotimi was arrested in Lagos today for alleged criminal libel.

“In demanding Mr. Farotimi’s unconditional release from illegal custody, I wish to state, without any fear of contradiction, that Lagos State is among the two states in Nigeria that have decriminalised defamation in its entirety.

“In fact, the current state of the law was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in the case of Aviomoh v Commissioner of Police & Anor. (2021) LPELR-55203(SC) when Helen Ogunwumiju JSC held that “Defamation was decriminalised in the Criminal Law of Lagos in 2011 and Edo State Criminal Law Bill 2020.”