By Damilare Adeleye
Human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has finally been released from Ado-Ekiti custodial centre where he was detained for weeks over alleged defamation.
The legal practitioner regained his freedom on Tuesday morning after perfecting his bail conditions.
It was reported that when Justice Babs O. Kuewumi of the Federal High Court in Ekiti granted Dele Farotimi’s bail application on December 9, 2024, his release was delayed as a result of bureaucratic hurdles.
It was said that the court needed to verify documents submitted by his sureties with banks and government agencies, which was only completed last Friday.
“However, the judge has yet to sign off on these documents, preventing the prison authorities from releasing Farotimi,” a source was quoted as saying on Sunday.
Farotimi was arrested by Ekiti Police operatives following a petition by a legal luminary, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN).
He is facing trial in two courts on charges bordering on the alleged defamation of Afe Babalola.On December 9, the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State granted Farotimi N50 million bail with one surety, following a 12-count charge bordering on cybercrime filed by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.The Federal High Court granted bail to Farotimi after the police filed charges against him over allegations of cybercrime.Justice Babs O. Kuewumi ruled on December 9, 2024, that Farotimi should be released on bail, but with some conditions. Specifically, Farotimi needed to provide a surety of N50 million and a guarantor who owns a landed property worth the same amount as the surety.Justice Kuewumi adjourned the case to January 29, 2025, for further proceedings.On Friday, December 20, 2023, at the hearing of Farotimi’s bail application at the Ekiti State Magistrate Court in Ado-Ekiti, Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun ruled in favour of Farotimi’s bail request.The magistrate court granted Farotimi N30 million bail. The bail conditions included provision of two responsible sureties and required Farotimi to surrender his passport to the court.One of the sureties must be a house owner.Additionally, the defendant was barred from granting any media interview.
