A group of Nigerian women and mothers has petitioned King’s College London to release a statement distancing the institution from the alleged oppressive actions of its major donor, Afe Babalola, who deployed the police to arrest rights lawyer Dele Farotimi over unflattering remarks in his book.
Mr Babalola, 95, had Mr Farotimi, 56, arrested in Lagos and transported to Ekiti, his home turf, in a nearly six-hour road trip over allegations that the nonagenarian won cases with raw cash rather than with brilliant arguments in his heydays.
Mothers United and Mobilised (MUM) on December 17 petitioned King’s College London, which received a €10 million donation from Mr Babalola in 2023, to renounce its ties to the oligarch, particularly that his actions do not represent the school’s values and return the donation.
MUM further requested that the UK institution join others to demand Mr Farotimi’s release from the Nigerian jail where he has spent more than two weeks.
“We urge King’s College to issue an unequivocal statement that distances themselves from the suppression of voices that speak out against corruption and lend their voice to the call for Dele Farotimi’s release and access to a fair trial, which events have shown he cannot receive in Chief Afe Babalola’s domain of residence,” said the petition signed by Boluwaji Onabolu, MUM convener.
The group contended that defamation charge was a civil matter that ought to be litigated in court but that there was little to zero possibility of Mr Farotimi getting a free and fair trial in Ekiti state, where Mr Babalola was highly admired and wielded significant influence with October 18 of each year designated Afe Babalola Day.
“Contrary to legal norms in Lagos State, where defamation is a civil matter, Chief Babalola allegedly orchestrated Farotimi’s arrest using police officers from Ekiti State, Chief Afe Babalola’s home state,” stated the petition.
“Despite being granted bail, Farotimi was subjected to stringent and difficult-to-meet conditions and subsequently denied bail, which many see as punitive and aimed at breaking his resolve,” the mothers’ group argued.
Mr Farotimi’s brutal arrest and subsequent incarceration triggered a nationwide uproar, with many people flooding Amazon with large orders for the book, all of which have earned the book a bestseller tag on the e-commerce site.
Some physical bookstores in Lagos and Abuja have also run out of supply of the book, which has become highly sought after by Nigerians curious to learn the allegations that triggered the nonagenarian’s aggressive reaction.
But a federal court order has banned further sales and distribution of the book in order to contain the alleged defamation, if any at all.
