Human rights advocate Dele Farotimi was overcome with emotion as he reflected on the collective voice of Nigerians that he said saved his life from detention.
Speaking on Sunday via YouTube and spreading on X, Farotimi attributed his freedom to the unflinching support of Nigerians who stood by him during his experience.
“We stopped being human because we became Nigerians. They divided us, and we fell for it.
“Because you wouldn’t see me as a Yoruba man, you spoke for me. Because you wouldn’t see me as a Christian, you spoke for me. Nigeria couldn’t happen to me because you spoke,” Farotimi said.
He emphasised the power of unity in the face of oppression, saying, “You found your voices. I became you. And in our collective, you couldn’t be silenced.”
Farotimi was released after being arrested on December 3 by police from the Ekiti State Police Command on accusations of defamation and cyberbullying.
The arrest followed claims made by noted legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Aare Afe Babalola, who accused Farotimi of defaming him in a 116-page book titled Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.
According to the police, the book claimed that Babalola and other Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) had corrupted Supreme Court Justices.
These allegations led to Farotimi’s arraignment in an Ekiti State Magistrate Court, followed by 12 further charges filed by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, at an Ekiti Federal High Court on December 6.
On December 21, the magistrate court granted Farotimi bail with strict restrictions, including a N30 million bond, two sureties (one of whom must possess property), forfeiture of his passport, and a prohibition on media interviews following his release.
Farotimi maintained his innocence, telling journalists that he had never lied against anyone.
“It is not ever an easy journey when you are fighting evil. Some years back, before I started this work, God told me that the truth is enough. It is the only weapon with which you can slay the monster called Nigeria,” he stated.
He added, “In my war against the evil empire that we all live in, I have never lied against anyone. If I don’t know, I will say I don’t know.”
