From Priscilla Ediare,Ado-Ekiti
AChief Magistrate Court sitting in Ado- Ekiti, capital of Ekiti State, has granted bail to activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi.
Farotimi has been standing trial over alleged defamation case against a legal luminary, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), in his book he recently published, entitled Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.
The court had on December 10 returned him (Farotimi) to the correctional facility pending the ruling on his bail application.
In his ruling on Friday, the presiding magistrate, Abayomi Adeosun, said the defendant couldn’t continue to remain in custody. He therefore granted Farotimi bail of N30 million with two responsible sureties in like sum.
He added that one of the sureties must be resident in Ekiti and must provide a landed property within the jurisdiction of the magisterial district with relevant documents of the property.
He also ordered that the defendant must submit his international passport to the court
Farotimi was also instructed not to grant interviews either with print or electronics media while the case was ongoing.
The case was adjourned till February 13, 2025.