The Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Monday granted bail to activist and lawyer Dele Farotimi following his arraignment on cybercrime charges which stemmed from alleged defamation of Afe Babalola, a Senir Advocate of Nigeria (SAN)
Penpushing reports that Justice Babs Kuewumi, granted bail to the accused in the sum of N50 million and adjourned the trial till 29 January 2025, but he (Farotimi) will however remain in detention pending when he meets the bail conditions.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria and founder of Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), it is recalled had petitioned the police in the state alleging that the activist defamed in his book, ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System’.
Penpushing further reports that the petition, however, led to the police filing criminal defamation charges against Farotimi, resulting in his arraignment at a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday.
The activist during the proceedings, denied the charges, and the trial magistrate subsequently ordered his remand in prison and scheduled the hearing of his bail application for Tuesday, 10 December 2024, while on Friday the office of the Inspector General of Police filed a fresh case comprising 12 counts of cybercrimes arising from the defamation allegations against the accused at the Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti.
Penpushing also reports that Farorimi was presented in court in handcuffs by the prison officials for arraignment before the court on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to all 12 counts of cybercrime, and the defence team subsequently applied for his bail, which the prosecution opposed.
The trial judge, ruling on the application disagreed with the prosecutor, Samson Osubu, who argued against Farotimi’s bail application, and thereafter, proceeded to grant bail to the defendant in the sum of N50 million with a surety resident in Ekiti.
Penpushing reports that the judge, equally ruled that the surety must have a landed property within the jurisdiction of the court, and in same vein ordered that the defendant must submit his passport to the court, and adjourned the case till January 29, 2025 for trial.
The accused lawyer Ralph Nwoke, who is the managing partner DL Legal, commended the court for granting the defendant bail, adding that the team would do everything possible to perfect the bail conditions towards ensuring his release.
Penpushing further reports that Nwoke, speaking with journalists explained that charges filed on the defence by the prosecuting team earlier on Monday were different from those filed on Friday.
‘We got the hint this morning (Monday) that they were bringing Dele Farotimi to the court this morning and we were already in Ado-Ekiti. We immediately rushed down to the court. They served us a new charge in court that was filed this morning, substituting the one that was filed on Friday last week’, he said.
“Our team moved an oral bail application and he was granted bail. He was granted a bail of N50 million and surety in like sum, which must be resident in Ekiti state with a landed property, including the travel passport of the defendant should be submitted at the court. Our client has been taken to the custodian centre, while we are working on perfecting these conditions to get him out hopefully any moment from now’.
Penpushing also reports that the defence team anticipates that the criminal defamation suit before the chief magistrate’s court would be withdrawn in light of the Federal High Court trial, stressing that he did not expect the magistrate court matter to go on.
“I don’t expect the Magistrate court matter to go on, this should override it, because this is a higher court. Let’s see what the prosecution team will do but we will be here to do our job’, Nwoke stated.
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