The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an ex-parte order barring the production and distribution of Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, a controversial book authored by human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi. The book, which has sparked widespread debate over allegations of judicial manipulation, recently gained global recognition as a bestseller in Amazon’s politics category.
The Chronicles reported that armed police officers arrested Farotimi at his Lagos office on December 3, 2024, and transported him over 300 kilometers to Ekiti State. The following day, he was arraigned before an Ado-Ekiti Magistrate Court on charges of alleged criminal defamation against legal luminary Afe Babalola, SAN. The charges stem from the claims made in Farotimi’s book, which accuses Babalola of leveraging judicial influence to secure favorable rulings for his clients.
The allegations have drawn widespread attention, intensifying public criticism of Babalola for allegedly using law enforcement to suppress Farotimi’s freedom of expression. Acting on a motion filed by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, head of Afe Babalola’s law firm, the court issued an interlocutory injunction on December 6, 2024. The order effectively halts all sales and distribution of the book, both in physical and digital formats, and mandates the seizure of royalties earned from its sales.
The injunction states:
“An order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendant/respondent, whether acting by himself, his staff, employees, servants, privies, representatives, agents, publishers, distributors, sellers, re-publishers, re-sellers, or any other person however described including 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 authored by the defendant/respondent titled: ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’, online.
The order further directs:
“An order of interlocutory injunction directing the seizure of all physical copies of the book authored by the defendant/respondent titled, ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’ wherever they may be.”
The book’s rising popularity, particularly its unflinching critique of Nigeria’s judicial system, is believed to be the driving factor behind the legal action. Many readers and critics have lauded the work for its bold insights, which shed light on issues often overlooked.
In response to the court’s directive, distributors have reportedly ceased the book’s sale. A source attempting to purchase ten copies at an Abuja bookstore was informed via text message that sales of the book had been suspended following the injunction.
The message read:
“Our attention has been drawn to an injunction sought against the sale of the book in bookstores by a SAN in Abuja in which our company was named. Henceforth, we have ceased all sales of the book from our stores.”
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