Court grants Dele Farotimi N30 million bail, asks him not to speak to public
A magistrate court in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State has granted N30 million bail to Dele Farotimi, human rights activist.
Abayomi Adeosun, the magistrate, ruled on Farotimi’s bail application on Friday.
The bail conditions include two sureties, who are responsible citizens in the society, with the defendant asked to leave his international passport with the court.
Farotimi would also not grant media interviews during the pendency of the case.Farotimi arrived at the Ekiti Magistrate Court, with heavy security comprising policemen and other law enforcement agents sighted.
He was conveyed to the court premises in a prison’s van with a police escort, alighting while raising his hands up in appreciation of a cheering crowd outside the court.His bail comes after the magistrate, Abayomi Adeosun, had at the last sitting, reserved ruling till December 20 on the bail application and ordered that the activist be remanded in prison.
During the court proceedings, Farotimi pleaded not guilty to the 14-count charge preferred against him by the police.
His counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, had filed a preliminary objection asking the court to strike out the charge.
According to him, the charge before the court was unknown to law and the offence of defamation was not recognised under the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.
Farotim has been remanded in prison custody since December 7, 2024, after being arrested on 16 counts of criminal defamation, following the publication of his book, Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.
The arrest of the activist sparked public criticisms with many Nigerians calling for his immediate release.