A Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti has struck out a defamation suit filed by Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun against human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi.
The suit was withdrawn by the prosecution due to allegations made in Farotimi’s book “Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System,” which accused renowned lawyer Chief Afe Babalola SAN of influencing Supreme Court judges.
At the hearing, counsel for the complainant Samson Osobu informed the court that the prosecution had filed a notice of discontinuance, citing Section 108(1)(2)(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
The notice was filed on January 29, 2025, and the decision to drop the suit followed interventions by well-meaning Nigerians and a request from Afe Babalola to discontinue the matter.
Farotimi’s counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), did not oppose the withdrawal, leading Justice Babs Kuewumi to strike out the case.
The withdrawal of the suit is attributed to the intervention of prominent traditional rulers in Yoruba land, led by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
