Human rights activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi’s controversial book, ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’, has suffered setback as the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, barred it from further being published, sold, circulated, advertised or distributed either in hard or soft copies.
Justice Peter Kekemeke granted the order after listening to the ex-parte application filed by the claimant, the managing partner at Afe Babalola’s law firm, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.
Justice Kekemeke also temporarily barred the agents, publishers, distributors, sellers, re-publishers, re-sellers, or any other person from further publishing, selling, circulating, advertising, or distributing the physical/hard/digital/soft copies of the book online, electronically, physically or by any other means, including the social media.
The order was granted pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction dated and filed on December 6, 2024.
The judge also granted an order of interim injunction directing the seizure of all physical copies of the book, wherever they may be found by the Nigerian Police Force, State Security Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and all other security agencies, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
The court further ordered that the relevant security agencies should file an affidavit demonstrating that they have complied with the orders within 72 hours of their receipt of the ruling.
In a similar development, an Oyo State High Court also granted an interim order restraining Farotimi or any person acting through him from further printing the book titled, ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System’.
Justice Mufutau Adegbola granted the interim order at the instance of a senior partner in the law firm of Afe Babalola, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Adebayo Adenipekun, who approached the court on Wednesday via an ex parte application dated December 9, 2024, on behalf of the firm.
After listening to the senior advocate, Justice Adegbola granted the order in the interim and directed that Farotimi’s lawyers be put on notice.
The motion on notice for interlocutory injunction was then adjourned to January 7, 2025.
