BREAKING: Dele Farotimi freed after fulfilling bail terms

Human rights advocate Dele Farotimi has been released from the Ekiti State Correctional Centre after fulfilling stringent bail conditions. Farotimi, who faced a 14-count charge of alleged defamation, was granted bail last Friday by a magistrate court in Ado-Ekiti. The magistrate, Abayomi Adeosun, set bail at ₦30 million and required two sureties, one of whom must own property within the court’s jurisdiction. Additionally, Farotimi was ordered to surrender his international passport and refrain from media interviews while the case was ongoing. Farotimi’s charges stem from allegations that he defamed senior advocate Afe Babalola in his book Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.  The activist, who pleaded not guilty, is simultaneously facing cybercrime charges in a federal high court in Ekiti. In December, the federal court granted him ₦50 million bail with a surety. Upon his release on Tuesday, December 24, Farotimi addressed his supporters, reaffirming his commitment to truth in his advocacy work. “In my public advocacy, I have never lied against anyone. If I don’t know, I will say I don’t know,” he declared. The police allege that Farotimi’s statements in the book amount to criminal defamation, but the activist remains resolute. “The truth is the only weapon that can be used to change the country,” he emphasised. Farotimi’s trial continues to draw attention as supporters rally behind his efforts to advocate for justice and transparency in Nigeria.