An FCT High Court has granted an order of interim injunction, restraining lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi and his representatives from further publishing, selling, circulating, advertising or distributing the hard and soft copies of the book Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System.
Mr Farotimi is facing cybercrime charges in Ekiti over allegations made against senior lawyer Afe Babalola in the book.
On Wednesday, Justice Peter Kekemeke granted the restraining order after listening to the exparte application filed by the claimant, the managing partner at Babalola’s law firm, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN).
The judge also temporarily restrained the agents, publishers, distributors, sellers, re-publishers, re-sellers, or any other person howsoever described, including Dele Farotimi Publishers, Amazon Online Bookstore, Rovingheights Bookstore, Booksellers Bookstore, Jazzhole Lagos Bookstore, Glendora Bookshop, Quintessence Lagos Bookstore and Patabah Books Limited from further publishing, selling, circulating, advertising, or distributing the physical/hard/digital/soft copies of the book online, electronically, physically or by any other means including social media.
The court’s order was granted pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction dated and filed on December 6, 2024.
The court also granted an order of interim injunction directing the seizure of all physical copies of the book wherever they may be found by the Nigerian Police Force, State Security Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp and all other security agencies pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction dated and filed on December 6, 2024.
The court further ordered that the relevant security agencies mentioned in the second relief should file an affidavit demonstrating that they have complied with the orders of the court within 72 hours of their receipt of the order of court.
In a similar development, an Oyo State High Court also granted an interim order restraining Farotimi or any person acting through him from further printing the same book.
Justice Mufutau Adegbola granted the interim order at the instance of a senior partner in Babalola’s law firm Adebayo Adenipekun (SAN) who approached the court via an exparte application dated December 9 on behalf of the firm.
The motion on notice for interlocutory injunction was adjourned to January 7, 2025.