Publisher of Sahara Reporters Omoyele Sowore said on Tuesday that the police have arrested human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi over allegations of defaming the chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA Group) Tony Elumelu.
Mr Sowore said on X that Mr Elumelu filed a petition accusing Farotimi of defamation.
“I just learned that Dele Farotimi was arrested by the Nigerian Police over a petition by Tony Elumelu of UBA Group alleging Dele defamed him,” he wrote.
“It is pertinent that the Nigerian police are notified that the institution cannot continue to be used to settle personal scores, and we, the citizens of Nigeria, would no longer tolerate such a situation.
“Therefore, the police at Zone 2 in Lagos are advised to release Barrister Dele Farotimi immediately.”
In a statement he titled “They Want to Silence Me” on Monday, Farotimi accused law enforcement of using coercive and unconventional tactics to intimidate him and his associates.
“These recent developments targeting my associates, tracking my phone, and harassing innocent individuals are deeply concerning.
“It has therefore become clear, and it is no longer hidden, that there are policemen from the Ekiti State Police Command who are currently working out of Zone 2 Police Station on a mission to abduct me,” Farotimi said.
Farotimi said the events began last month, November 11, when he received a police invitation to report to Zone 2 Police Command on November 13, 2024, at 10am.
He added that he was accompanied by his legal counsel when he went to honour the police invitation; he arrived at the station and was presented with a defamation petition from Elumelu.
Farotimi said he addressed the petition, which he deemed baseless, and was subsequently released on bail, with a return date set for November 21, 2024.
He said, “Accompanied by my legal counsel, I arrived at the station at 9:45 AM on the stated date. At the station, I was presented with a petition written by a lawyer on behalf of Mr. Tony Elumelu, accusing me of defamation. Despite finding the petition baseless, I addressed its content.
“Subsequently, I met with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) in charge of Zone 2. After discussions, I was released on bail on self-recognition and asked to return to the station on Thursday, the 21st of November 2024.”
After he was released, Farotimi alleges the police engaged in intimidation, including efforts to track his location, harass his domestic staff, and lure him to locations under suspicious pretences.
He said that a pastor from Realm of Glory International Churches informed him that two of his church members had been interrogated by the police, who had shown them a petition from Afe Babalola, a prominent lawyer in Ekiti State.
According to him, the police allegedly sought to use the pastors to lure him to Ekiti for his arrest.
