Human rights lawyer and former Chairman of the National
Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has berated the
Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) for handcuffing fellow lawyer, Dele
Farotimi during arraignment over a defamation case.
Odinkalu compared the scenario with how operatives of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were seen “honourably
escorting” a former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello amid a
multi-billion naira fraud trial.
Odinkalu was reacting to Farotimi’s appearance in court in
Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, in handcuffs on Monday following
charges brought against him by Afe Babalola (SAN) under the Cybercrimes
(Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act, 2015.
In a post on his X social media account, Odinkalu said,
“They took @DeleFarotimi who has never touched a kobo of #Nigeria’s
money & put him in handcuffs less than a fortnight after
@OfficialGYBKogi swagged into the offices of @officialEFCC b4 showing up
in court as a superstar. Dele set these guys up & they’re falling
for it.”
They took @DeleFarotimi who has never touched a kobo of
#Nigeria’s money & put him in handcuffs less than a fortnight after
@OfficialGYBKogi swagged into the offices of @officialEFCC b4 showing up
in court as a superstar. Dele set these guys up & they’re falling
for it.
It was earlier reported that the handcuffs on Farotimi
generated backlashes online, with many Nigerians questioning why such
measures were applied to Farotimi, who is known for his advocacy for
free speech, while high-profile political figures accused of massive
corruption appeared in court without similar treatment. Many Nigerians
took to social media to express outrage, calling the incident a
demonstration of the selective application of justice in the country.
Meanwhile, some human rights activists compared Farotimi’s treatment to
that of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who has been accused
of misappropriating over N100 billion in public funds. Despite the
gravity of the allegations against Bello, he has not been subjected to
such visible. An X user, @afrotrax wrote, “Exactly the point! Our
government and its politicians behave like dictatorial regimes—falling
slowly at first, then collapsing entirely. “Their intelligence erodes
gradually until it’s completely gone, and their capacity for sound
judgment follows the same path—all driven by greed and intoxication with
power. “They act like gods, believing themselves untouchable, yet only
succeed in making fools of themselves. Dele Farotimi recognized this
decay, exposed it, and they failed to read between the lines. “As the
proverb goes ‘The higher a monkey climbs, the more it exposes its
backside.’ “They’ve been unintentionally exposing the very rot he spoke
about—all by themselves. What a masterstroke!”
Exactly the point! Our government and its politicians
behave like dictatorial regimes—falling slowly at first, then collapsing
entirely. Their intelligence erodes gradually until it’s completely
gone, and their capacity for sound judgment follows the same path—all
driven by greed… pic.twitter.com/oCwZljf1HD — Mood (@afrotrax) December
9, 2024
Another X user, @egbelowo wrote, “In Nigeria, criminals
often roam freely, while the law seems designed to oppress those without
power or connections to authority.”
In Nigeria, criminals often roam freely, while the law
seems designed to oppress those without power or connections to
authority.
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