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December 3, 2024
Sowore, who said this after confirming from Farotimi’s family that his whereabouts still remained unknown, demanded immediate release of the human rights lawyer.
Human rights activist and convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore, has described the abduction of human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, by operatives of the Nigeria Police and hiding of his whereabouts as despicable.
Sowore, who said this after confirming from Farotimi’s family that his whereabouts still remained unknown, demanded immediate release of the human rights lawyer.
Sowore said, “I have just spoken to the family of Dele Farotimi, and they stated his whereabouts are unknown to them since a contingent of Police officers raided his home and abducted him earlier today from Lagos after seizing the mobile devices of everyone present.
“They raised suspicion that his current ordeal might have been as a result of efforts by Chief Afe Babalola, SAN who had laid siege on him since last week, tracking his every move using Nigeria Police Force from the Ekiti Command.
“Last week, Dele Farotimi said he was invited twice to answer petitions written against him by UBA Group owner, Tony Elumelu at the Zone 2 police formation in Lagos.
“Today his location is unknown and the Nigeria police is yet to reveal what happened to him.
“Let's reiterate that it is despicable on the part of the Nigeria Police to engage in abuse and repression of citizens freely expressing themselves. #FreeDeleFarotimi NOW!”
I have just spoken to the family of @DeleFarotimi, and they stated his whereabouts are unknown to them since a contingent of @PoliceNG officers raided his home and abducted him earlier today from Lagos after seizing mobilize devices of everyone present; they raised suspicion that… pic.twitter.com/8FIq5Tvu0z
— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) December 3, 2024
SaharaReporters earlier reported that Farotimi’s family cried out over his whereabouts since he was arrested by the Nigerian police at Zone 2 in Lagos following a petition.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, the activist's family said he had been driven somewhere outside Lagos by the police operatives.
"Dele Farotimi’s whereabouts is unknown since his arrest. He was driven somewhere outside Lagos," SaharaReporters was told by family sources.
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that Farotimi raised the alarm over alleged threats to his life by some Nigerian elites in collusion with the security agencies and some legal experts.
Farotimi in the statement he personally signed and captioned, “They Want to Silence Me”, narrated how on November 11, he was informed that an invitation letter from the Zone 2, Police Command, was delivered to his office.
According to him, the letter requested that he should report to the station on November 13, at 10:00 AM.
The lawyer who said that he was accompanied by his legal counsel, noted that he arrived at the station at 9:45 AM on the stated date, and that at the station, he was presented with a petition written by a lawyer, accusing him of defamation.
“Despite finding the petition baseless, I addressed its content,” Farotimi said.
Meanwhile, Nigerian human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, on Tuesday, via his X handle, also confirmed that the lawyer's family confirmed to him that his whereabouts were unknown.
Earlier, Sowore had condemned Farotimi's arrest and called for the immediate and unconditional release of the human rights lawyer.
According to Sowore, "I just learned that Dele Farotimi was arrested by Nigeria Police Force over a petition by Tony Elumelu of UBA Group alleging Dele defamed him.
"It is pertinent that the Nigerian police are notified that the institution cannot continue to be used to settle personal scores, and we, the citizens of Nigeria, would no longer tolerate such a situation.
"Therefore, the Police at Zone 2 in Lagos are advised to release Barrister Farotimi immediately," he added.