Veteran entertainer and activist Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, has issued a stern warning regarding the ongoing detention of human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi. Charly Boy has threatened to reveal damaging information about senior lawyer Afe Babalola if Farotimi is not granted bail by Friday.
Expressing his frustration on Instagram on Thursday, Charly Boy wrote, “If they don’t release Dele on bail tomorrow, we will go ballistic with the information we have on Afe Babalola. We won’t be playing this time. Enough of this nonsense.”
Farotimi’s legal troubles stem from allegations of defamation leveled by Afe Babalola. The senior lawyer accused Farotimi of claiming in his book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System, that Babalola bribed Supreme Court judges to secure favorable rulings.
Following a petition filed by Babalola, Farotimi was arrested in Lagos and arraigned on December 4 at an Ado-Ekiti Magistrate Court before Chief Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun. He faced a 16-count charge, including allegations of cybercrime and libel.
Farotimi pleaded not guilty to all charges, but the court ordered his remand at a correctional facility until further hearings. His bail conditions were particularly stringent, requiring a ₦50 million bond, a surety of equal value with landed property in Ekiti State, and the surrender of his travel passport.
The court adjourned the bail application hearing to December 20, leaving Farotimi in custody.
