The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has dismissed a petition filed by Emmanuel Chambers, the law firm of Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), seeking the disbarment of lawyer and author Tomilola Farotimi, popularly known as Dele Farotimi, over allegations of criminal defamation and professional misconduct.
The petition, submitted by Emmanuel Chambers’ lawyer, Mr. Ola Faro, accused Farotimi of making defamatory statements about the Supreme Court and the legal profession in his book, Nigeria and the Criminal Justice System. It alleged that the book distorted facts related to a Supreme Court judgment in the case SC/146/2006: Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu v. HRH Oba Tijani Akinloye & Others, and contained claims of corruption, bribery, and unethical practices within the judiciary and legal community.
The petition further accused Farotimi of violating sections of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2023, claiming his writings disrespected fellow lawyers, obstructed justice, and undermined the integrity of the legal system. Emmanuel Chambers demanded that his name be struck off the Roll of Legal Practitioners.
However, the LPDC, chaired by Justice Isaq Usman Bello, rejected the petition on jurisdictional grounds. In a report (B8B/LPDC/1571/2024) issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the committee concluded that the alleged offences occurred in Farotimi’s capacity as an author, not in his role as a practising lawyer.
“The publication is an intellectual property and not a conduct or action committed while practising as a Legal Practitioner. All aggrieved parties who find the publication ‘defamatory’ should ventilate their grievances through the regular courts,” the LPDC stated.
The committee emphasized that it lacked the authority to adjudicate on complaints related to published works and advised those aggrieved by the book to seek legal redress through the appropriate judicial channels.
The decision marks the end of the LPDC’s involvement in the matter, redirecting any further grievances to the conventional court system.
