By OWEI LAKEMFA

There are cobwebs surrounding the claims by Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, that a younger lawyer, Dele Farotimi, defamed him in a book on the judiciary. For this, the police had invaded Farotim?s chambers, assaulted his staff, threatened two of his lawyers with guns and, virtually abducted the lawyer. Farotimi was first dragged in handcuffs before a Magistrate Court in Ado Ekiti, Chief Babalola?s hometown where he is so powerful that a special Afe Babalola Day has been reserved annually to honour him. The Magistrate denied Farotimi bail.

Later, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egebtokun had Farotimi brought from prison to an high court to face new charges, this time for alleged cybercrimes. Bail was granted in this case which Farotimi has not perfected. Then while still being held in prison, Babalola and his supporters hauled Farotimi before courts in Abuja, Ibadan and Port Harcourt. The Babalola Chambers additionally, petitioned the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee to remove Farotimi from the roll of Nigerian legal practitioners. In all these, Chief Babalola refused to learn from a younger lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, who when confronted with serious defamation, took out a civil suit rather than employ the repressive state apparatus against his accuser.

The Babalola-Farotimi drama reminds me of a story I was told as a child. Early one morning, villagers, on their way to farm and market, found the parrot tied in front of his in-law?s house. They were told the parrot had been gossiping and making disparaging comments against his in-law. Almost all blamed the parrot for his predicament. When they were returning in the evening, the villagers found that the parrot not only remained tied, but had now been put in a cage.

This time, they condemned the in-law for subjecting the parrot to torture and unbearable pain. They reminded the in-law of a Yoruba saying that: ?Aseju ni Baba asete?: meaning that excessive behaviour or, anything done in excess, ultimately leads to disgrace. They said the fact that he seeks to make his case does not mean he should exhaust all the saliva in his mouth. The villagers reminded him that if people beg the heavenly Egungun masquerade, he listens, if they beg the Orisha god, he listens and if they beg God Almighty, he forgives; so, who is he, a mere mortal to insist on a pound of flesh? (Vanguard)

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