Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee rejects Afe Babalola law firm’s request to disbar Dele Farotimi

The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), has dismissed a petition filed by the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Afe Babalola, law firm seeking to disbar lawyer Dele Farotimi, declaring that the allegations against Farotimi were beyond its jurisdiction.

Penpushing reports that the committee’s report pointed out that the allegations in the petition arose from Farotimi’s activities as an author, not in his capacity as a practising lawyer, hence, the request by the law firm cannot be entertained.

The chairman of the committee Isaq Bello, explained that the committee’s jurisdiction is limited to professional misconduct directly connected to the practice of law, emphasizing that as a result, the petition to disbar Farotimi was denied.

Penpushing further reports that it is recalled that the petition stemmed from Farotimi’s widely circulated book, ‘Nigeria and Criminal Justice System’, which is unsparingly critical of Babalola, the founder of Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD).

“The publication is an intellectual property and not a conduct or action committed while practicing as a Legal Practitioner. All aggrieved parties who find the publication defamatory should ventilate their grievances through the regular courts,” the committee report emphasised.

Penpushing also reports that the law firm had earlier sent a 90-page petition dated December 6,2024 addressed to the the regulatory body in charge of disciplining lawyers in line with the Legal Practitioners Act and the Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers.

The petitioner stated that Farotimi, through the book, violated the provisions of the rules governing the professional conduct of lawyers, arguing that Farotimi’s book referenced suit number SC/146/2006 between Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu and HRH Oba Tijani Akinloye and others, alleging corruption, bribery, and other unethical practices involving judicial officers and the legal community.

Penpushing reports that the book accused the legal icon of comprising the Supreme Court in the service of his clients, while Babalola alleged in its petition that the book contained defamatory remarks about the Supreme Court and the Nigerian legal profession.

The petition added that Farotimi distorted the facts of the case, disrespecting fellow lawyers, and engaging in actions that obstructed justice for personal gain, stressing that the author violated several sections of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2023 and requested that his name be struck off the roll of legal practitioners.

Penpushing further reports that the author’s book, a freewheeling criticism of Babalola, his law firm and its lawyers as well as the entire Nigerian justice system, has prompted criminal and civil cases against him in different courts last week.

The legal luminary, it is recalled that in November, petitioned the police in Ekiti State, accusing Farotimi of criminal defamation, which led to the arrest of the author and subsequent arraignment before the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ado Ekiti.

Penpushing also reports that Farotimi was equally arraigned before Justice Babs Kuewunmi of the Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti on cybercrime charges stemming from Babalola’s allegations regarding the book.

The Federal High Court later granted him N50 million bail and remanded him in prison till he met the bail conditions and ordered the seizure of physical copies of the book across the world, and that Farotimi should not grant any media interview

Penpushing further reports that, Farotimi has been released from the correctional facility in Ekiti State after meeting the bail conditions having spent twenty days in detention in a case where he faces criminal charges of defaming Babalola in his book.

The lawyer and activist’s ally, Omoyele Sowore, who is the publisher of Sahara  Reporters, made this known in a Facebook post on Tuesday, explaining that as at the time of his(Sowore’s) post was on his way to Lagos, boasting that the struggles continue

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