By Divine Sam
The appearance of human rights activist Dele Farotimi in handcuffs at the Ekiti State High Court has sparked outrage among many Nigerians. Farotimi was escorted to court on Monday in handcuffs after being arrested last week in Lagos by officers from the Ekiti State Police Command. His arrest followed a defamation lawsuit filed by Chief Afe Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who accused Farotimi of defaming him in his book Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.
Several activists have expressed their anger over the incident, particularly because the alleged crime, defamation, is a civil matter, not a criminal one. Deji Adeyanju, a fellow activist, condemned the actions, stating that it was shameful for a lawyer to be handcuffed over a defamation case. Inibehe Effiong, another lawyer, also criticized the handcuffing, pointing out that Farotimi had not posed any threat or resisted arrest. Rinu Oduala and other social media users echoed these sentiments, questioning why Farotimi was treated as a criminal for a non-criminal offense and calling for his release.
Leave a Reply