Police Planning To ‘Abduct Me’ Following Petition By Tony Elumelu – Dele Farotimi

Dele Farotimi, a human rights activist, has accused officers of the Ekiti State Police Command of plotting to abduct him from Lagos.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Dele Farotimi alleged that the police are acting on a petition filed by Afe Babalola, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

According to him, the officers have resorted to dubious tactics, even after he honored a prior invitation to the Zone 2 Police Headquarters in Lagos.

The public affairs analyst recounted receiving an invitation letter from Zone 2 on November 11, 2024, requesting his presence at the station.

Accompanied by his lawyer, Farotimi complied with the summons on November 13, where he was presented with a defamation petition reportedly filed by Tony Elumelu, the chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group.

He wrote, “On Monday, the 11th of November 2024, I was informed that an invitation letter from Zone 2 police command was delivered to my office.

“The letter requested that I report to the station on Wednesday, the 13th of November 2024, at 10:00 AM. Accompanied by my legal counsel, I arrived at the station at 9:45 AM on the stated date.

“At the station, I was presented with a petition written by a lawyer on behalf of Mr. Tony Elumelu, accusing me of defamation.

“Despite finding the petition baseless, I addressed its content. Subsequently, I met with the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) and the assistant inspector-general (AIG) in charge of Zone 2.

“After discussions, I was released on bail on self-recognisance and asked to return to the station on Thursday, 21st November 2024.”

However, events took a troubling turn when Farotimi learned that police officers had attempted to coerce pastors at a Lagos church into luring him to facilitate his arrest.

He said the officers showed these pastors a petition filed by Babalola and pressured them to assist in his capture. The pastors declined, stating they had no direct ties to him beyond his previous appearance as a guest speaker.

The activist continued, “Following this, I informed my friend, Pastor Sam Aiyedogbon of Realm of Glory International Churches, about the incident.

“On Saturday, the 16th of November 2024, Pastor Sam informed me that one of the pastors in his church, John Ntekume, had been interrogated by the police, and then returned to the church. He was coerced to write a statement along with another pastor, Obiorah Ochokwu.

“The police showed them a petition written by Chief Afe Babalola in Ekiti state, addressed to the Ekiti state police command, and demanded that they lure me to the church to facilitate my arrest.

“The pastors informed the police that they had no means of doing so, as I am not a hidden person and do not have a direct relationship with them.

“They explained that I had preached at their church as a guest of their senior pastor and left. From their accounts, it became evident that the officers were from the Ekiti state Police.

“I found it perplexing that the police would attempt to lure me through such means, especially since I had already reported to Zone 2 on the 13th of November 2024 and was scheduled to return on the 21st of November 2024.

“During my visit, I even met with the assistant inspector-general of police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2, who supervises the entire south-west police formations.

“I honoured the invitation on the 21st of November 2024 again in the company of my legal counsel and was permitted to leave.

“However, I subsequently began receiving suspicious messages from individuals clearly attempting to lure me to certain locations where I feared I might be. It became evident that these individuals were operating outside standard procedures.”

Dele Farotimi also alleged that attempts to lure him escalated to targeting his domestic staff. He recounted an incident where his staff member was contacted about a package to be collected from a store.

He said, “To my dismay, the situation escalated when one of my domestic staff was targeted. These individuals contacted him, claiming to have a package for him at Evron Food Store on Chevron Drive, Lekki. Having been forewarned, he asked them to leave the package with the store’s security personnel.

“When their attempts to coerce the security guard into luring my staff failed, they arrested the guard, took him to Zone 2 Police Station, and questioned him about my home address and wife’s contact information. The security guard was released on bail later that evening.”

Despite these incidents, Farotimi insists he has always cooperated with lawful police procedures, including attending the November 21 appointment at Zone 2 Police Station with his lawyer.

He expressed concern over the harassment, phone tracking, and targeting of his associates, labeling these actions as tactics to abduct him under false pretenses.

“I must reiterate that I am a law-abiding citizen. I have consistently honoured every lawful invitation by the Nigeria Police Force,” the activist said,

“However, these recent developments — targeting my associates, tracking my phone, and harassing innocent individuals are deeply concerning.

“It has therefore become clear, and it is no longer hidden, that there are policemen from the Ekiti State Police Command who are currently working out of Zone 2 Police Station on a mission to abduct me.”

Dele Farotimi clarified that his alleged comments about Babalola were contained in a book he published in Lagos, where he resides and works.

He argued that if any offense was committed, it occurred in Lagos, not Ekiti State. He described the police actions as a display of impunity and emphasized his commitment to justice for all parties involved.

“If I have committed a crime, it was not done in Ekiti State. I live in Lagos, I work in Lagos, and every event described in my book occurred in Lagos State. The res (matter) is in Lagos,” he said.

“What I alleged Chief Afe Babalola did, he did in Lagos. I published my book in Lagos. If I have done anything deserving of criminalisation, those acts occurred in Lagos state. All we have seen so far is unbridled impunity unleashed on a citizen.

“I wrote a book and called it ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’. There is justice for the accused, there is justice for the victim, and there must be justice for the state.”