Legal icon and elder statesman, Afe Babalola, has agreed to withdraw his criminal defamation suit against rights activist, Dele Farotimi, following a heartfelt appeal from the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
Babalola had sued Farotimi in an Ado Ekiti Magistrates’ Court after the activist published a book that allegedly defamed him. However, Babalola’s decision to reconsider the suit came after a visit from the Ooni and other prominent Yoruba traditional rulers on Sunday night.
The royal delegation, which included the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Ogoga of Ikere-Ekiti, Oloye of Oye-Ekiti, Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti, and Olojudo of Ido-Ekiti, arrived at Afe Babalola University (ABUAD) at around 10:30 pm to persuade the elder statesman to drop the case.
During the meeting, Babalola revealed that he had received multiple appeals, including letters and phone calls from distinguished Nigerians like former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Bishop Hassan Kukah, urging him to withdraw the suit.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria stated that he had no intention of seeing Farotimi imprisoned and, in response to the pleas, pledged to direct his lawyers to withdraw the case.
The Ooni, in his address, emphasized that Yoruba leaders had been closely following the situation and decided to intervene so Babalola could forgive Farotimi. He commended Babalola for his decades of integrity and urged him to remain resolute in his efforts for justice.
The meeting concluded around midnight, and it was agreed that the defamation suit would be withdrawn.
The court had previously granted Farotimi a N30 million bail in relation to the case.
