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BREAKING: Ekiti Court Denies Activist Dele Farotimi Bail, Adjourns Ruling To December 20
The court ordered that Farotimi be remanded in custody for the next 10 days
Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State- A magistrate court in Ekiti State has denied bail to human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, in a case of alleged defamation against legal luminary Afe Babalola.
During the court session on Tuesday, arguments for Farotimi’s bail application were heard, but the ruling was adjourned until December 20, 2024.
The court ordered that Farotimi be remanded in custody for the next 10 days, extending his incarceration in connection with the ongoing legal battle.
Meanwhile Farotimi had pleaded not guilty to 14 charges leveled against him at the Ekiti State Magistrate Court.
The charges, which were initially 16, were amended and reduced to 14 by the prosecution before being served to the defendant.
However, two major developments unfolded at the Magistrate Court in Ekiti State during the defamation trial of activist and lawyer Dele Farotimi.
The first was the magistrate’s rejection of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) representing Farotimi, and the second was the amendment of the charges against him to include treason.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olumide Fusika, and two other senior lawyers were asked to withdraw from representing Farotimi because SANs are allegedly barred from practicing at the Magistrate Court level.
Fusika, however, argued that Ekiti State’s Magistrate laws permit SANs to appear before such courts.
The magistrate deferred a decision on the matter, promising to rule on the legality of the representation at the next hearing.
Meanwhile, the complainant’s counsel strongly opposed granting bail to Farotimi, accusing him of committing “criminal defamation” that exposed the complainant to contempt, ridicule, and reputational harm.