Nigerian system intolerable, unfit for human habitation – Farotimi
Human rights advocate, Dele Farotimi, was overcome with emotion on Sunday as he decried that Nigerians had built an “unfit” country causing many to flee the nation.
Speaking on Sunday via YouTube, Farotimi attributed his freedom to the unwavering support of Nigerians who stood by him during his ordeal.
“We have become victims in the country that we have managed to build. I told you why we are all running away.
“I told you how we were all running away from Nigeria because we have built an intolerable country unfit for human habitation. I have called it an evil empire,” he said as he wiped tears from his face with a handkerchief.
“Because of what we have collectively tolerated, we have lost our country and we have become slaves,” he said.
Farotimi reflected on the collective voice of Nigerians that he said saved his life, attributing his freedom to the unwavering support of Nigerians who stood by him during his ordeal.
“We stopped being human because we became Nigerians. They divided us, and we fell for it.
“Because you wouldn’t see me as a Yoruba man, you spoke for me. Because you wouldn’t see me as a Christian, you spoke for me. Nigeria couldn’t happen to me because you spoke,” Farotimi said.
Farotimi continued by emphasising the power of unity in the face of oppression.
“You found your voices. I became you. And in our collective, you couldn’t be silenced,” he said.
Farotimi was recently released from a prison in Ekiti State following his arrest on December 3, 2024, by officers from the Ekiti State Police Command on charges of defamation and cyberbullying.
The arrest stemmed from allegations made by renowned legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Aare Afe Babalola, who accused Farotimi of defaming him in a 116-page book titled “Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System”.
According to the police, the book alleged that Babalola and other Senior Advocates of Nigeria had corruptly influenced Supreme Court Justices.
These claims led to Farotimi being arraigned in an Ekiti State Magistrate Court and later facing 12 additional charges filed by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, at an Ekiti Federal High Court on December 6.
On December 21, the magistrate court granted Farotimi bail under stringent conditions, including a N30m bond, two sureties (one of whom must own property), surrender of his passport, and a prohibition on granting media interviews after his release.
However, Farotimi said he was never gagged from speaking, insisting that his silence until the Sunday broadcast was due to him being overwhelmed by Nigerians’ support during his ordeal.
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