The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has dismissed a petition from the law firm of Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), Emmanuel Chambers, seeking to revoke the law license of lawyer and author Tomilola Farotimi, also known as Dele Farotimi, over allegations of criminal defamation and professional misconduct.
Farotimi, who was brought before the LPDC following a complaint filed by Ola Faro, a lawyer at Emmanuel Chambers, faced allegations related to his book Nigeria and the Criminal Justice System.
The petition claimed the book contained defamatory remarks about the Supreme Court and the legal profession.
However, the LPDC concluded that the alleged offenses occurred while Farotimi was acting as an author, not as a practicing lawyer.
The committee stated it did not have jurisdiction over the complaint, as the matter pertained to the content of a publication rather than any actions taken during his legal practice.
LPDC Chairman, Justice Isaq Usman Bello, affirmed that the committee’s jurisdiction did not extend to matters concerning written publications and advised the petitioners to seek redress through the appropriate regular courts.
The book in question allegedly criticized a Supreme Court case involving corruption and unethical conduct among judicial officers, while also addressing what Farotimi described as distortion of case facts and the undermining of justice.
Emmanuel Chambers accused Farotimi of disrespecting his peers and engaging in actions for personal gain, claiming his book violated the 2023 Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners.
They called for Farotimi’s removal from the Roll of Legal Practitioners.
In response, the LPDC clarified that the book was an intellectual work and not an action taken during Farotimi’s practice as a lawyer.
The committee urged those who felt defamed by the publication to pursue their grievances in the regular courts.
