A magistrates’ court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, has granted human rights activist Dele Farotimi ₦30 million bail in his alleged defamation trial.
Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun ruled in favour of Farotimi’s bail request on Friday, stipulating two responsible sureties and the surrender of his international passport as conditions.
Farotimi, who pleaded not guilty to the defamation charge, was also instructed not to grant media interviews while the case is ongoing.
The activist’s lead counsel, Olumide Fusika, SAN, was prohibited from appearing before the court, citing Section 9 of the Magistrate’s Courts Law 2014.
The Ekiti Police Command had arraigned Farotimi following a petition by elder statesman and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Afe Babalola, who accused the activist of criminally defaming him in his recently released book.
