Atiku Urges Immediate and Unconditional Release of Dele Farotimi
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Dele Farotimi, a lawyer and human rights activist.
Farotimi was arrested on Tuesday in Lagos on charges of criminal libel, as disclosed by fellow human rights lawyer, Femi Falana.
In a statement issued personally on Wednesday in Abuja, Atiku condemned the arrest, describing it as both unacceptable and unjust. He expressed concern over the nature of the charges, noting that defamation, in most cases, does not warrant the involvement of law enforcement. “The police’s intervention in such matters is nothing more than using a sledgehammer to kill a fly—an overreach of immense proportions,” he stated.
Atiku further condemned the arrest as part of a broader agenda to suppress fundamental freedoms, particularly the right to free expression, which he argued is a direct affront to democratic principles. “The objective is clear: to intimidate and silence dissent, particularly from citizens and the media, ultimately paving the way for the establishment of a one-party state,” he said.
The former presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emphasized that freedom of speech and association are constitutional rights, not privileges. He added that if someone feels defamed, they should seek redress through the courts, not through state power.
Atiku pointed to his own experience in 2019, when he was defamed but chose to take the matter to court instead of involving law enforcement. “It is an appalling abuse of power to use the police for personal vendettas,” he said. “Therefore, I call for the immediate and unconditional release of Farotimi.”