Nigeria’s prominent human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has raised the alarm over alleged threats to his life by some Nigerian elites in collusion with the security agencies and some legal experts.
Farotimi in a statement he personally signed and captioned, “They Want to Silence Me”, narrated how on November 11, he was informed that an invitation letter from the Zone 2, Police Command, was delivered to his office.
According to him, the letter requested that he should report to the station on November 13, at 10:00 AM.
The lawyer who said that he was accompanied by his legal counsel, noted that he arrived at the station at 9:45 AM on the stated date, and that at the station, he was presented with a petition written by a lawyer on behalf of Mr. Tony Elumelu, Chairman of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), accusing him of defamation.
“Despite finding the petition baseless, I addressed its content,” Farotimi said.
He further stated, “Subsequently, I met with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) in charge of Zone 2. After discussions, I was released on bail on self-recognisance and asked to return to the station on Thursday, the 21st of November 2024.
“Following this, I informed my friend, Pastor Sam Aiyedogbon of Realm of Glory International Churches, about the incident.
“On Saturday, the 16th of November 2024, Pastor Sam informed me that one of the pastors in his church, John Ntekume, had been abducted by the police, interrogated, and then returned to the church.
“He was coerced to write a statement along with another pastor, Obiorah Ochokwu.
“The police showed them a petition written by Chief Afe Babalola in Ekiti State, addressed to the Ekiti State Police Command, and demanded that they lure me to the church to facilitate my arrest.
“The pastors informed the police that they had no means of doing so, as I am not a hidden person and do not have a direct relationship with them.
“They explained that I had preached at their church as a guest of their senior pastor and left. From their accounts, it became evident that the officers were from the Ekiti State Police Command.
“I found it perplexing that the police would attempt to lure me through such means, especially since I had already reported to Zone 2 on the 13th of November 2024 and was scheduled to return on the 21st of November 2024.”
According to him, “During my visit, I even met with the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2, who supervises the entire Southwest police formations.
“I honoured the invitation on the 21st of November 2024 again in the company of my legal counsel and was permitted to leave.
“However, I subsequently began receiving suspicious messages from individuals clearly attempting to lure me to certain locations where I feared I might be abducted. It became evident that these individuals were operating outside standard procedures.”
Farotimi said that he approached the Lagos State High Court, seeking enforcement and protection of his fundamental human rights against the unconventional tactics.
He said he also alerted his associates and staff, urging them to exercise caution.
Farotimi, who alleged that those hunting him have even attempted to get him through his domestic staff said, “To my dismay, the situation escalated when one of my domestic staff was targeted.
“These individuals contacted him, claiming to have a package for him at Evron Food Store on Chevron Drive, Lekki.
“Having been forewarned, he asked them to leave the package with the store’s security personnel.
“When their attempts to coerce the security guard into luring my staff failed, they arrested the guard, took him to Zone 2 Police Station, and questioned him about my home address and wife’s contact information.
“The security guard was released on bail later that evening.”
The lawyer said that though he is a law-abiding citizen and has consistently honoured every lawful invitation by the Nigeria Police Force, “These recent developments targeting my associates, tracking my phone, and harassing innocent individuals are deeply concerning.”
He said, “It has therefore become clear, and it is no longer hidden, that there are policemen from the Ekiti State Police Command who are currently working out of Zone 2 Police Station on a mission to abduct me.
“Now, this leads me to ask a question: if I faithfully attended the police station as invited, why not invite me in the same manner again?”
He noted that assuming there is a charge against him, it does not take a lawyer to point out that law enforcement officers going around arresting people connected to him and intimidating them is not the proper way to carry out a lawful arrest.
“So, I have good reason to be fearful for my life, my personal liberty, and even the well-being of those around me,” he said.
He recalled how in February 2021, he publicly disclosed a murder plot against him and how he was given six names by the person who revealed the plot to him.
He said, “I mentioned three with specificity to the Lagos Commissioner of Police at the time, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, who is now part of Lagos State Parks and Services. One of the persons whose name I did not disclose at the time was a serving police officer.
“Of the three that were specifically mentioned, one is a traditional ruler. All this happened in 2021, and the police never once investigated these claims.”
Farotimi alleged that the same police are now surreptitiously trying to abduct him outside the procedure of the law.
He said, “Even if one elects to pursue criminal proceedings and attempts to criminalise free speech, as Chief Afe Babalola is attempting to do, there is still a lawful process to follow.
“It is no accident that the Ekiti State Police Command has been enlisted in this injustice and has become an instrument of evil.
“Chief Afe Babalola is the largest employer of labour and the highest taxpayer in Ekiti State.
“Abducting me to be tried in Ekiti State is not justice but a witch hunt. I am being prepared for the gallows by Chief Afe Babalola and his minions, who are doing his bidding in Ekiti State.
“If I have committed a crime, it was not done in Ekiti State. I live in Lagos, I work in Lagos, and every event described in my book occurred in Lagos State. The rest is in Lagos. What I alleged Chief Afe Babalola did, he did in Lagos.”
Farotimi noted, “Deploying this police impunity in pursuit of me, when I could simply be invited, clearly shows the level of evil that has been unleashed against me.”
He stressed that truth dies in darkness, and that darkness is when one sees the truth and does not speak or is intimidated into silence.
“I am not bothered by what the system seeks to do. However, it must not be allowed to perpetrate any evil under the cover of darkness.
“I am in my home in Lagos. Come and arrest me, if I have committed any crime.”
