- Safiu Kehinde
Family of human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has pointed accused finger at elder statesman, Aare Afe Babalola, of being responsible for lawyer’s arrest.
This was disclosed in a post on X on Tuesday by Sahara Reporters publisher and activist, Omoyele Sowore.
The 2023 African Alliance Congress (AAC) Presidential candidate claimed to have reached out to the lawyer’s family following his arrest.
According to Sowore, the family raised suspicion that Farotimi’s arrest might be as a result of efforts by Chief Afe Babalola’s who was alleged to have been tracking him with officers from Ekiti Police Command over alleged defamation.
The family, however expressed concern over the lawyer’s whereabout.
They claimed that the police officers who arrested him seized the mobile devices of everyone present.
“I have just spoken to the family of @DeleFarotimi, and they stated his whereabouts are unknown to them since a contingent of @PoliceNG officers raided his home and abducted him earlier today from Lagos after seizing mobilize devices of everyone present; they raised suspicion that his current ordeal might have been as a result of efforts by Chief Afe Babalola, SAN who had laid siege on him since last week, tracking his every move using @PoliceNG from Ekiti Command.” Sowore wrote.
He also disclosed that Farotimi was invited twice last week to answer petitions written against him by United Bank of Africa’s (UBA) CEO, Tony Elumelu.
“Last week, @DeleFarotimi said he was invited twice to answer petitions written against him by @UBAGroup owner @TonyOElumelu at the Zone 2 police formation in Lagos.
“Today his location is unknown and the Nigeria police is yet to reveal what happened to him.
Lets reiterate that it is despicable on the part of @PoliceNG to engage in abuse and repression of citizens freely expressing themselves.” Sowore added.