The NBA condemned these events as a serious breach of the rule of law and an assault on the integrity of the legal profession.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, the NBA emphasized that while the Nigerian Police Force has the legal authority to investigate crimes, such powers must be exercised within the boundaries of the law and in accordance with offences recognized under Nigerian law.
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The association also pointed out that the alleged libel for which Farotimi was reportedly arrested is not a criminal offence under Lagos State law.
It referred to the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, which decriminalized defamation, in line with global best practices that categorize defamation as a civil matter, not a criminal one.
Citing the Supreme Court’s 2021 ruling in Aviomoh v. Commissioner of Police & Anor, Osigwe reminded that Justice Helen Ogunwumiju, JSC, had confirmed that defamation ceased to be a criminal offence in Lagos State with the passage of the 2011 law.
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