A human rights activist, lawyer, and opposition politician, Dele Farotimi, has been arrested by the Nigerian police in Lagos.
The arrest is purportedly in connection to a defamation petition filed against him by billionaire banker Tony Elumelu, Chairman of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group.
The fiery government critic had only hours earlier expressed fears about his safety in a post he made on his verified X account titled, “They Want To Silence Me.”
I STAND BY TRUTH! pic.twitter.com/RaWThInR9U
— Dele Farotimi. A victim of Nigeria (@DeleFarotimi) December 3, 2024
In it, he narrated how, on November 11, he was informed that an invitation letter from the Zone 2 Police Command had been delivered to his office.
He said the letter requested that he report to the station on November 13 at 10:00 AM.
The lawyer, who said that his legal counsel accompanied him, noted that he arrived at the station at 9:45 AM on the stated date and was presented with a petition written by a lawyer on behalf of Mr Elumelu, accusing him of defamation.
“Despite finding the petition baseless, I addressed its content,” Farotimi said.
The police have not made a public statement on the development, but Farotimi’s arrest, often fondly referred to as The Prophet by his fans due to his pinpoint predictions on sociopolitical developments in the country, has raised a firestorm of protestations online.
Another activist, Omoyele Sowore, quickly tweeted demanding his colleague’s release, “It is pertinent that the Nigerian police are notified that the institution cannot continue to be used to settle personal scores, and we, the citizens of Nigeria, would no longer tolerate such a situation.
“Therefore, the Police at Zone 2 in Lagos are advised to release Barrister Farotimi immediately,” he added.
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