By Ayo Kehinde
The Magistrate Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital, has granted a N30m bail to human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi.
Chief Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun, while granting the bail application from the defence counsel on Friday, said the defendants must provide two sureties with one of them a house owner in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
The court also held that Farotimi should submit his international passport and refrain from granting media interviews both electronic or print pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Farotimi was arrested in Lagos on December 3, by officers of the Ekiti Police Command. The activist was accused of maligning and defaming the character of a renowned legal luminary and founder of Afe Babalola University, Afe Babalola, in his recently published book, ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’, where he alleged that Afe Babalola corrupted the Judiciary and procured judgements in the supreme court.
Magistrate Adeosun had on December 4, remanded Farotimi in prison custody after he pleaded not guilty to a 16-count charge filed against him by the Police.
The court had on December 10, further adjourned ruling on his bail application to December 20, after police counsel, Samson Osobu, argued that the bail application was incomplete and not properly filed.
Earlier, an Ekiti State High Court, on December 9, granted a N50m bail to Farotimi.
