A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Afe Babalola, has been identified as the powerful Nigerian who instigated the arrest, brutalisation and detention of
human rights activist Dele Farotimi by the police over a defamation allegation on Tuesday.

Mr Babalola asked the Nigerian police to arrest Mr Farotimi and transport him to Ekiti by road on a 334-kilometre trip that lasted more than five hours.  This comes more than a year after the senior lawyer donated millions of British pounds to advance human rights and education for African students at King’s College, London.

Mr Babalola is a prominent figure in Ekiti State, where he wields significant influence. He owns a university in the state capital, has thousands of employees and has been honoured by the state government, with October 19 designated Afe Babalola Day.

The activist had raised alarm that he was being targeted by UBA CEO Tony Elumelu and Mr Babalola, whom he accused of deploying the police to harass and monitor his movement. 

The activist had previously posted on X that the police abducted his church pastor, John Ntekume, to lure him to church and arrest him, but the plan fell through until his disappearance on Tuesday. 
“The police showed them a petition written by Chief Afe Babalola in Ekiti State, addressed to the Ekiti State Police Command, and demanded that they lure me to the church to facilitate my arrest,” Mr Farotimi wrote.
“The pastors informed the police that they had no means of doing so, as I am not a hidden person and do not have a direct relationship with them.”

According to AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, the police confiscated the mobile devices of witnesses at the scene to avoid being captured on camera as they brutalised and arrested the activist.

“I have just spoken to the family of @DeleFarotimi, and they stated his whereabouts are unknown to them since a contingent of @PoliceNG officers raided his home and abducted him earlier today from Lagos after seizing mobile devices of everyone present,” Mr Sowore posted on X Tuesday.

The covert nature of Mr Farotimi’s arrest contrasts sharply with the public image Mr Babalola has cultivated and portrayed over the years, particularly as defamation is a civil matter that should be resolved in court rather than through arrest and detention in a commando-style operation.

As a senior lawyer, Mr Babalola was well accustomed to the Nigerian constitution and knew the nation’s position on such matters.

That Mr Babalola orchestrated Mr Farotimi’s arrest and transfer from Lagos to Ekiti — his home state where he holds sway— has fuelled speculations that the activist may not receive fair treatment.

Lagos police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin did not immediately return comments on the circumstances surrounding Mr Farotimi’s arrest, particularly if phones were taken from witnesses before arresting the rights lawyer.

Also, King’s College London did not immediately return comments to clarify whether the actions of their major donor aligned with the institution’s values.