Dele Farotimi, a human rights advocate, has appreciated Nigerians for standing by him during his time in prison, regardless of his tribe or religion.
Farotimi was remanded by the Ekiti state magistrate court in Ado-Ekiti court for 21 days after he was accused of “criminally defaming” Afe Babalola, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), in a book titled: ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System’.
He regained his freedom on December 24, after being granted bail of N30 million by the court.
In a social media interview following his release, Farotimi broke down in tears while thanking Nigerians who rallied support for him.
“We stopped being humans because we became Nigerians. They divided us and we fell for it. Because you would not see me as a Yoruba man, you spoke for me,” he said.
“You would not see me as a Christian, you spoke for me. Because you spoke, Nigeria could not happen to me. You found your voices, I became you and in our collective, we could not be silenced.”
Meanwhile, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has rejected a request by Emmanuel Chambers, Afe Babalola’s law firm, to disbar Farotimi for alleged unethical conduct.
Isaq Bello, chairman of the LPDC, said the allegations pertained to Farotimi’s role as an author and not his practice as a lawyer.