A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and a partner at Afe Babalola law chamber, Olu Daramola, has filed a N500 million suit at the Ojodu Abiodun Division of Ogun State High Court against Tomilola Titus Farotimi also known as Dele Farotimi for alleged defamation in his new book, titled: Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.
The suit was filed barely a month after the one filed by Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) over similar and alleged defamatory words in the book.
The writ, dated December 13, 2024, was taken on behalf of the applicant by Iheanyichukwu C. Uwa on behalf of Daramola (SAN).
The claimant is seeking a declaration that the book, titled: Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System authored by the defendant and in circulation within and outside the country and within the jurisdiction of the court contains some defamatory words on page 64.
Daramola averred that the book is offensive, defamatory and derogatory and has brought him into ridicule, odium, disrespect, disrepute and scorn in the eyes of the right-thinking members of the society.
The claimant is seeking a declaration that the book has injured his character, prestige, pedigree and reputation as an honest, law-abiding, competent, dutiful, reliable, diligent and trustworthy legal practitioner.
He is seeking an order of the court to award him N500 million against the defendant, being exemplary and general damages in favour of the claimant for the book authored by the defendant and said to be in circulation all over the country.
Daramola is seeking a court order to compel the defendant to publish an unreserved apology in The Guardian and The Punch or any other two widely national newspapers to retract the libelous excerpts in the book.
The claimant is also seeking a court order directing the recovery and destruction of the book authored by the defendant and currently in circulation across Nigeria and within the jurisdiction of the court in hard and soft copy formats from all bookshops, libraries, archives, booksellers, social media and online platforms, amongst others.
He is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, whether by himself, privies, agents, servants, workers, officers, or any other person howsoever described from publishing, causing to be published or in any other manner circulating the said offensive book in hard and soft copy formats authored by the defendant on the claimant.
Daramola is praying the court to direct the defendant to pay interest on the judgment sum awarded to the claimant at the rate of 10 per cent per annum from the date of judgment in this suit until the judgment debt is fully and finally liquidated.
No date has been fixed for hearing of the suit.
Farotimi is currently in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) and is yet to file a response to the suit.
