LAGOS – A Nigerian human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has been arrested by the police at Zone 2 in Lagos following a petition filed by Tony Elumelu, the chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group.
It was gathered that the petition alleged that Farotimi defamed Elumelu through statements made publicly.
Earlier, KOIKI Media reported that Farotimi raised the alarm over alleged threats to his life by some Nigerian elites in collusion with the security agencies and some legal experts.
Farotimi, in the statement he personally signed and titiled, “They Want to Silence Me”, narrated how on November 11, he was informed that an invitation letter from the Zone 2, Police Command, was delivered to his office.
He said the letter requested that he should report to the station on November 13, at 10:00 AM.
Social media users and activists are demanding the immediate release of Farotimi, with human rights activist Omoyele Sowore condemning the lawyer’s arrest and calling for his release.
Sowore wrote on social media platform X: “I just learned that Dele Farotimi was arrested by Nigeria Police Force over a petition by Tony Elumelu of UBA Group alleging Dele defamed him.
“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 Farotimi immediately.”
The Lagos State Police Command’s spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin could not be reached for comment.
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