Human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has raised an alarm on social media, claiming that his life is under threat due to alleged collusion between powerful Nigerians and security agencies. Farotimi, known for his vocal stance on legal and human rights issues, accused these individuals of conspiring to have him abducted and silenced. In a statement he signed and shared with journalists, he described how his life and that of his close associates are currently at risk.
According to Farotimi, the threat to his life intensified after he received an invitation from the Zone 2 Police Command on November 11, 2024. The invitation, which was delivered to his office, requested that he report to the police station on November 13 at 10:00 AM. Accompanied by his legal counsel, Farotimi arrived at the station at 9:45 AM, where he was presented with a petition from a lawyer representing Tony Elumelu, the Chairman of the United Bank for Africa (UBA). The petition accused Farotimi of defamation.
In his statement, Farotimi said, “Despite finding the petition baseless, I addressed its content.” He explained that after addressing the petition, he met with senior officers, including the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and the Assistant Inspector-General in charge of Zone 2. Following the meeting, Farotimi was released on bail on his own recognizance, with a request to return to the station on November 21, 2024.
Farotimi further detailed a troubling development when he was informed by his friend, Pastor Sam Aiyedogbon, of Realm of Glory International Churches, about an incident involving one of the church pastors. On November 16, 2024, Pastor Sam told Farotimi that Pastor John Ntekume had been abducted by the police, interrogated, and coerced into writing a statement along with another pastor, Obiorah Ochokwu. The pastors were reportedly shown a petition from Chief Afe Babalola in Ekiti State, which had been sent to the Ekiti State Police Command.
The petition allegedly requested that the pastors lure Farotimi to the church in an effort to facilitate his arrest. The pastors, however, denied any knowledge of how to assist the police, explaining that while Farotimi had preached at their church as a guest, he did not have a direct relationship with them. According to their accounts, the police officers involved appeared to be from the Ekiti State Police Command.
Farotimi found it “perplexing” that the police would attempt to use the church pastors to lure him, especially since he had already reported to the Zone 2 Police Command on November 13 and was scheduled to return on November 21. The lawyer expressed his concerns over the lengths to which these individuals were going to have him detained, which he believes are part of a larger plot to silence him.
