A request by Chief Afe Babalola’s legal practice, Emmanuel Chambers, to cancel the law practice license of author and lawyer Tomilola Farotimi, also known as Dele Farotimi, due to accusations of professional misconduct and criminal defamation was denied by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC).
Ola Faro, a lawyer from Emmanuel Chambers, filed a petition with the LPDC, arguing that Farotimi should be disbarred for making defamatory remarks against the Supreme Court and the legal profession in his book Nigeria and the Criminal Justice System.
Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu and HRH Oba Tijani Akinloye and others filed suit number SC/146/2006, according to the book, alleging bribery, corruption, and other unethical conduct by court officials and the legal community.
Farotimi was charged in the petition of misrepresenting the facts of the case, treating other attorneys with contempt, and taking steps to thwart justice in order to further his own interests. References to a Supreme Court ruling that impacted numerous residential estates and later court cases that challenged the ruling of the highest court were among the specific complaints.
Emmanuel Chambers asked that Farotimi’s name be removed from the Roll of Legal Practitioners after claiming that his book broke certain provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2023.
However, the LPDC concluded in its report (B8B/LPDC/1571/2024) that the alleged offenses took place when Farotimi was working as an author and not while he was practicing law. The LPDC encouraged harmed parties to seek remedies in ordinary courts after concluding that it lacked the authority to handle complaints regarding publications.
All parties who feel that the publication is “defamatory” should take their complaints to the regular courts, according to the LPDC’s report, which stated: “The publication is an intellectual property and not a conduct or action committed while practicing as a legal practitioner.”
Justice Isaq Usman Bello, the LPDC Chairman, confirmed that the petition could not be granted due to jurisdictional limitations.