The Ekiti State Police Command has confirmed that Human Right Lawyer, Dele Farotimi is in its custody.
The Command spokesman, Mr Sunday Abutu, made this known in a statement in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital yesterday night.
There have been concerns over the whereabouts of the human rights lawyer who was reportedly arrested yesterday morning.
But the Police said Farotimi is undergoing investigation following a petition filed against him for allegations of defamation and cyberbullying.
The statement reads in part, “The Ekiti State Police Command wishes to inform members of the public that one Mr Dele Farotimi is undergoing investigation following a petition written against him to the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command for an allegation of defamation of character and cyberbullying.
“He was arrested today in Lagos with an arrest warrant gotten from court
after all means deployed by the Command to bring him for interrogation proved abortive.
“He is currently in custody and will be arraigned as soon as investigation is concluded”, it added
Earlier, in a post via X, Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 elections, said the whereabouts of Farotimi was unknown after police raided his residence in Lagos.
Sowore said the police officers seized the mobile gadgets of the family members of the activist during the operation.
On Tuesday morning, Farotimi, in a statement, alleged that officers attached to the Ekiti police command have perfected plans to abduct him from Lagos.
Farotimi accused the command of deploying questionable means to lure him for arrest despite honouring the invitation of the zone 2 police headquarters in Lagos some weeks ago.
The human rights advocate said he was questioned at the zone 2 headquarters owing to a petition filed by Tony Elumelu, chairman of the United Bank for Africa (UBA).
The activist said the police officers from Ekiti command were acting on another petition allegedly filed by Afe Babalola, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
Farotimi added that his comments about Babalola were in a book published in Lagos and not Ekiti.
