Afe Babalola’s Relative Vows Anyone Who Protests Farotimi’s Arrest in Ekiti ‘Will Suffer’

Mike Oshaloni, a high chief in Ado-Ekiti and Afe Babalola’s family head, has issued threats to Nigerians planning to protest the arrest of Dele Farotimi, a human rights lawyer.

While entertaining questions in a video, which surfaced online in the early hours of Saturday, Oshaloni said the protesters would be prevented from exercising their rights in Ado-Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State.

“Farotimi wants to blackmail him (Babalola). He has blackmailed him. He has defamed his character; character assassination (sic). He has bastardised everything that stands on the name of Chief Afe Babalola and we want to resist it (sic),” said Oshaloni.

“We want to let him know that whether he did it on his own or he is being sponsored (sic), we want him to know that we are ready to confront the thing head-to-head (sic).

“Farotimi and people like Femi Falana and others are professional protesters. For little things, they want to turn the whole world upside down (sic). You see, it is only a bastard who uses his left hand to describe the house of his father.

 

“There is no way I can (sic)… there is no way (sic)… after all they protested against the president of this country; let them go on. But, for them to come to Ado or Ekiti to say they want to protest, we are waiting for them, honestly speaking; unless the police stops them. We will tell them that this is the root and foundation of Afe Babalola, and we will tell them that they can’t operate. Bet me, they can’t do it (sic). If they do it, they will suffer for it. They will know that they don’t have the monopoly of violence alone. They don’t!

“I am High Chief Mike Oshaloni, the Oloti of Ado-Ekiti, a member of Ewuye Council proper. I am the head of the family of Afe Babalola, his root and foundation.”

Oshaloni went on to voice his opinion on “Freedom of Speech”.

“Freedom of speech is not absolute, I think you agree with that (sic),” Oshaloni said.

“Whatever you say, you must expect consequences for it. So, either he is doing it willingly or being sponsored, whoever is involved, they are going to regret this action.

 

“I am just coming from the Federal High Court. I accused the lawyer that came to (sic)… I cannot imagine lawyers coming to support Farotimi in the name of doing their job (sic), destroying somebody who is a very senior member of the association, without looking… without waiting to know the basic truth of this matter.

“It is very appalling; very disgraceful.”

FAROTIMI’S ARREST

On July 2, Farotimi released a book titled Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.

Months after the release of the 116-page book, Babalola accused Farotimi of defamation.

The human rights lawyer was subsequently arrested in a Gestapo-like manner at his Lagos office by a group of policemen attached to the Ekiti State Police Command on December 2, and then transported to Ekiti State.

 

Apart from the defamation charges initially brought against Farotimi at an Ekiti State Magistrate court by Babalola’s team, Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), filed 12 additional charges against Farotimi at an Ekiti Federal High Court on December 6.

An Abuja High Court has also ordered multiple security agencies in the country to seize physical copies of the book from all bookstands and stores nationwide.

The court also temporarily restrained Farotimi from “further publishing, selling, circulating, advertising, or distributing the physical/hard/digital/ soft copies of the book online, electronically, physically or by any other means”.

Farotimi’s trial has led to criticism from Nigerians with many calling for a protest to be staged against what they term “an unlawful arrest”.