The arrest and detention of lawyer and human rights advocate Dele Farotimi are unequivocally condemned. It serves as a grim reminder of the dark days of military dictatorship when the iron fist of tyranny sought to crush all dissent. 

I am made aware that Dele is being accused of defamation — an offence that, under normal circumstances, should not warrant the involvement of law enforcement. The police’s intervention in such matters is nothing less than using a sledgehammer to swat a fly, an overreach of unimaginable proportions.

This alarming trend, particularly the recent abduction — or rather, the arrest — of Dele Farotimi, is emblematic of this administration’s insidious agenda to suffocate the fundamental right to free expression.

The aim is clear: to intimidate and harass citizens, particularly those who oppose the regime and the press, thus paving the way for the establishment of a one-party state. It is imperative to remind the Tinubu administration that these repeated acts of arrest directly contradict the principles of democracy.

Freedom of speech and association are not privileges but constitutionally enshrined rights. If anyone feels wronged by defamatory words, they are free to seek redress in the courts, not at the hands of the state’s enforcers. 

It is an appalling abuse of power to use the police as a tool for personal vendettas. In 2019, I was defamed. I did not involve the police to flex muscles and intimidate the defaming citizen. Still, I took the case to court, where I am currently seeking relief for the injuries to my name and integrity. Therefore, I call for the immediate and unconditional release of Dele Farotimi.

Atiku Abubakar
Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (2023).