On Wednesday, the Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti struck out the lawsuit filed by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, against activist lawyer Mr. Dele Farotimi, which involved cybercrime allegations. The case was dismissed after the police counsel submitted a notice of discontinuation.
Farotimi’s lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), called the discontinuation a missed opportunity for the court to address the misuse of the Cybercrime Act by the police.
The Inspector General of Police had filed 12 cybercrime charges against Farotimi on December 9, 2024, based on an interview related to his book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System. This action followed a complaint from Aare Afe Babalola, founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, who accused Farotimi of defamation in the book. The case was initially adjourned to January 29, 2025.
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When the case resumed on Wednesday, the police counsel, Samson Osobu, informed the court that a notice of discontinuation had been filed, citing the desire of the nominal complainant, Aare Babalola, to withdraw the case, with mediation from well-meaning Nigerians. Farotimi’s lawyer, Olumide-Fusika, stated that they had no objection to the discontinuation. As a result, Justice Kuewumi struck out the charges.
After the court session, Olumide-Fusika expressed disappointment, calling the withdrawal a missed chance to use the judiciary to correct the police’s misuse of the law. He criticized how the Cybercrime Act had been abused for personal disputes, contrary to its intended purpose. He also noted that the National Assembly had amended the law to prevent such misuse.
Earlier, following the intervention of traditional rulers, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Aare Babalola had announced his decision to withdraw the defamation charges against Farotimi.
