Dele Farotimi, a human rights advocate, has alleged that officers attached to the Ekiti police command have perfected plans to abduct him from Lagos.
Farotimi accused the command of deploying questionable means
to lure him for arrest despite honouring the invitation of the zone 2 police
headquarters in Lagos.
Speaking during a press conference on Monday, the public
affairs analyst said the police is acting on a petition allegedly filed by Afe
Babalola, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
“On Monday, the 11th of November 2024, I was informed that
an invitation letter from Zone 2 police command was delivered to my office,” he
said.
“The letter requested that I report to the station on
Wednesday, the 13th of November 2024, at 10:00 AM.
“Accompanied by my legal counsel, I arrived at the station
at 9:45 AM on the stated date.
“At the station, I was presented with a petition written by
a lawyer on behalf of Mr. Tony Elumelu, accusing me of defamation.
“Despite finding the petition baseless, I addressed its
content. 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, 21st 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 interrogated
by the police, 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.
“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.
“During my visit, I even met with the assistant
inspector-general of police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2, who supervises the
entire south-west 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.
“It became evident that these individuals were operating
outside standard procedures.”
Farotimi accused the police of trying to use his domestic
workers to lure him.
“To my dismay, the situation escalated when one of my
domestic staff was targeted,” he said.
“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.
“I must reiterate that I am a law-abiding citizen. I have
consistently honoured every lawful invitation by the Nigeria Police Force.
“However, these recent developments — targeting my
associates, tracking my phone, and harassing innocent individuals are deeply
concerning.
“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.”
‘MY BOOK WAS
PUBLISHED IN LAGOS’
Farotimi added that his comments about Babalola were in a
book published in Lagos and not Ekiti.
“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 res (matter) is in Lagos,” he said.
“What I alleged Chief Afe Babalola did, he did in Lagos. I
published my book in Lagos.
“If I have done anything deserving of criminalisation, those
acts occurred in Lagos state. All we have seen so far is unbridled impunity
unleashed on a citizen.
“I wrote a book and called it ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal
Justice System’. There is justice for the accused, there is justice for the
victim, and there must be justice for the state.”
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