Revealed! How Ooni Persuaded Babalola To Withdraw Case Against Farotimi

New details have emerged about how the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, successfully intervened in a legal case involving human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi and Aare Afe Babalola (SAN).

According to a statement from Moses Olafare, the Director of Media and Public Affairs for the Ooni’s palace, the monarch, accompanied by other traditional rulers from Ekiti State, visited Afe Babalola University (ABUAD) in Ado Ekiti on Sunday night. They met with Babalola to ask him to withdraw the charges against Farotimi.

The meeting was attended by several notable Yoruba monarchs, including the Ewi of Ado, Oba Rufus Adejugbe Aladesanmi III; the Ajero of Ijero, Oba Adewole Joseph Adebayo; the Ogoga of Ikere, Oba Samuel Adejinmi Adu; the Alaaye of Efon Alaaye, Oba Dr. Emmanuel Aladejare Agunsoye II; and the Olojudo of Ido Ekiti, Oba Ilori Faboro. The gathering took place late at night at ABUAD, where the Ooni of Ife passionately appealed to Babalola, asking him to forgive Farotimi and withdraw the criminal charges.

“We’ve all come together as traditional rulers to discuss this issue. Dele Farotimi is your son, and you must forgive him and withdraw the criminal charges against him,” the Ooni said. He also highlighted Babalola’s outstanding contributions to Nigeria and the Yoruba people, praising his role as a respected elder in the community.

In response, Babalola acknowledged the weight of the traditional rulers’ request and the influence of Yoruba values. He agreed to forgive Farotimi and instructed his lawyers to withdraw the charges. “Today is a very important day for me. Ewi of Ado, former President Obasanjo, Bishop Matthew Kukah, and others have all intervened. My answer to them was ‘no,’ but today, my answer is ‘yes.’ I will instruct my lawyers to withdraw the charges immediately,” Babalola said.

The case stemmed from allegations of defamation in Farotimi’s book, ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’, which Babalola claimed damaged his reputation. These charges had led to Farotimi being tried in two courts in Ekiti State.
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