Dele Farotimi arrested over alleged defamation, cyberbullying, say Ekiti police

The police command in Ekiti has confirmed the arrest of Dele Farotimi, a human rights advocate.

Sunday Abutu, the police spokesperson in Ekiti, told TheCable that operatives arrested Farotimi over a petition about alleged defamation and cyberbullying.

Abutu said the command obtained a warrant of arrest against Farotimi regarding the case, adding that the activist is currently being transported from Lagos to Ekiti state.

But the police spokesperson declined to name the complainant, who wrote the petition against Farotimi.

“He was arrested some hours ago based on a petition that was written to the commissioner of police (in Ekiti),” Abutu said.

“The allegation is about defamation of character and cyberbullying.

“The command did not act out of place. We even got a court order, that is a warrant of arrest.”

Earlier, in a post via X, Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 elections, said the whereabouts of Farotimi was unknown after police raided his residence in Lagos.

Sowore said the police officers seized the mobile gadgets of the family members of the activist during the operation.

On Tuesday morning, Farotimi, in a statement, alleged that officers attached to the Ekiti police command have perfected plans to abduct him from Lagos.

Farotimi accused the command of deploying questionable means to lure him for arrest despite honouring the invitation of the zone 2 police headquarters in Lagos some weeks ago.

The human rights advocate said he was questioned at the zone 2 headquarters owing to a petition filed by Tony Elumelu, chairman of the United Bank for Africa (UBA).

The activist said the police officers from Ekiti command were acting on another petition allegedly filed by Afe Babalola, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Farotimi added that his comments about Babalola were in a book published in Lagos and not Ekiti.