Human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has vowed to ensure that those responsible for his arrest and detention for 21 days over the now halted defamation case between him and legal luminary, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), pay for their actions .
He stated this on Sunday night when he appeared in a national television program Sunday Politics anchored by Seun Okinbaloye and monitored by our Correspondent in Lagos.
Farotimi was arrested by the Police in Lagos and whisked him to Ekiti, where he was charged with defaming Babalola in his book titled ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’.
An Ekiti Magistrate court remanded him for 21 days, but Babalola later withdrew the case, ending weeks of legal tussle.
However, from his words, it would seem that the matter is far from over as Farotimi has threatened to sue those behind his arrest and detention.
“Let me continue to reassert that I was always at peace. But when it comes to demanding an account of those who have perverted the powers of the state in pursuit of a private cause, you can be certain of one thing: some people will account for my incarceration, but that is not a matter for banter. That is something for the courts to decide,” he said.
”Let me continue to reassert that I was always at peace, but when it comes to demanding an account of those who have perverted the powers of the state in pursuit of a private cause, you can be certain of one thing: some people will account for my incarceration”
“So even though the criminal suit has been withdrawn, the civil suits are there, and what I would like to do in response to my incarceration is another ball game entirely, but you can take it to the bank: I will certainly be demanding an account from those who sent me to prison,” he added.
When asked who he is suing over his detention, Farotimi said, “My lawyers will decide who is responsible, and they will then proceed to the court.
“Whether it’s the police that I have to sue, whether it’s the magistrate who sent me to prison, whether it’s the persons who wrote the petition, whether it’s whoever, but somebody would explain.”
