The Nigerian Police Force has reportedly detained human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi over allegations of defaming Tony Elumelu, the Chief Executive Officer of the United Bank for Africa (UBA).
Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), disclosed the arrest in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday.
According to Sowore, the arrest followed a defamation petition filed by Elumelu against Farotimi. He criticized the police for allegedly being used to resolve personal disputes and called for Farotimi’s immediate release.
Sowore wrote: “I just learned that Dele Farotimi was arrested by the Nigerian Police over a petition by Tony Elumelu of UBA Group alleging defamation. It is important to remind the Nigerian police that the institution must not be used to settle personal scores. We, the citizens of Nigeria, will no longer tolerate such misuse of authority.
“Therefore, the police at Zone 2 in Lagos are advised to release Barrister Dele Farotimi immediately.”
