Human Rights Advocate, Dele Farotimi, Alarms That Police Scheming to Kidnap Him
Dele Farotimi, a respected human rights advocate, has claimed that officers of the Nigeria Police Force are concocting a plan to abduct him from Lagos. He made this accusation during a press conference held on November 11, 2024.
According to Farotimi, the Police were employing unscrupulous tactics to entice him into an arrest, despite his compliance with an invitation from the Zone 2 Police Headquarters in Lagos. He revealed that an invitation letter was delivered to his office, asking him to report to the station on November 13, 2024, at 10:00 AM. Accompanied by his legal counsel, he arrived at the station at 9:45 AM, only to be presented with a petition written by a lawyer on behalf of Tony Elumelu, accusing him of defamation.
Despite finding the petition baseless, Farotimi addressed its content and met with the Deputy Commissioner of Police and the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) in charge of Zone 2. He was eventually released on bail and asked to return to the station on November 21, 2024.
Farotimi alleged that, during his visit, pastors from the Realm of Glory International Church, where he had preached as a guest, were also interrogated by the police. The pastors, John Ntekume and Obiorah Ochokwu, were coerced into writing a statement, using a petition written by Afe Babalola in Ekiti State. The police demanded that they lure him to the church to facilitate his arrest.
The pastors informed the police that they had no means of doing so, as he was not a hidden person and did not have a direct relationship with them. They explained that he had preached at their church as a guest and left; it became apparent that the officers were from the Ekiti State Police.
Farotimi expressed bewilderment at the Police’s attempt to entice him through such methods, especially given that he had already reported to Zone 2 on November 13, 2024, and was set to return on November 21, 2024. He claimed that during his visit, he met with the AIG in charge of Zone 2, who oversees all police operations in the southwest region.
Farotimi’s pair of visits to the station, once on November 13, 2024, and again on November 21, 2024, came with his legal counsel, and he was allowed to depart on both occasions. However, he started receiving suspicious messages from individuals attempting to lure him to certain locations where he feared he might be arrested.
The human rights advocate accused the police of trying to use his domestic workers to lure him. He revealed that one of his staff members was targeted, with the individuals claiming to have a package for him at Evron Food Store on Chevron Drive, Lekki. When their attempts to coerce the security guard into luring his staff member failed, they arrested the guard and questioned him about his home address and wife’s contact information. The guard was released on bail later that evening.
Farotimi emphasized that he is a law-abiding citizen and has honored every lawful invitation by the Nigeria Police Force. He expressed concern about the recent developments, including targeting his associates, tracking his phone, and harassing innocent individuals. He believes it has become clear that there are police officers from Ekiti State who are working out of Zone 2 Police Station on a mission to abduct him.
Farotimi also clarified that his comments about Babalola were made in a book published in Lagos, not Ekiti. He urged that if he has committed a crime, it was not done in Ekiti State, but in Lagos, where he works and resides. He published his book in Lagos and all the events described in the book occurred in Lagos State. He called for justice to be served, pleading for fairness and equality in the Nigerian criminal justice system.
“My book was published in Lagos, not Ekiti. If I’ve committed a crime, it was not done in Ekiti State. I live and work in Lagos, and every event described in my book occurred in Lagos State. The re is in Lagos,” Farotimi said, emphasizing that if he has done anything deserving of criminalization, those acts occurred in Lagos State.
