Femi Falana, a senior Nigerian advocate, has condemned the arrest of human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi.
According to Falana, the arrest was illegal.
Falana further revealed that Farotimi was arrested for an alleged crime of defamation.
Farotimi’s arrest was revealed by African Action Congress 2023 presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore in a post on his X on Tuesday.
In a statement he signed, Falana revealed that Farotimi was arrested in Lagos State for alleged defamation on Tuesday, stating that his arrest was illegal.
Falana demanded the unconditional release of Farotimi from police custody, noting that Lagos State is among the two states in Nigeria that have decriminalized defamation.
The statement said, “I have just confirmed that Mr Dele Farotimi was arrested today in Lagos for alleged criminal defamation.
“In demanding the unconditional release of Mr. Farotimi from illegal custody, I wish to state, without fear of contradiction, that Lagos State is among the two states in Nigeria that have decriminalized defamation in its entirety.
“In fact, the current state of the law was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in the case of Aviomoh v Commissioner of Police and Anor. (2021) LPELR-55203(SC) when Helen Ogunwumiju JSC held that “defamation was decriminalized in the Lagos Criminal Law in 2011 and in the Edo State Criminal Law Bill 2020.”
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