Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the arrest and detention of lawyer and human rights advocate, Dele Farotimi, calling it a dangerous throwback to the oppressive days of military dictatorship.
In a statement on his X page Wednesday, Atiku accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of using state power to silence dissent and suppress free speech.
Atiku, who described the charges against Farotimi as baseless, particularly criticised the police’s involvement in what he called a “sledgehammer” response to a defamation case, an issue that, under normal circumstances, should be addressed through civil litigation.

He underscored that the police’s actions are an overreach that threatens fundamental democratic rights, including freedom of expression and association.
“This alarming trend, highlighted by Farotimi’s arrest, reveals an insidious agenda by this administration to curtail the right to free speech and intimidate citizens and the press. The goal is clear: to pave the way for a one-party state,” Atiku said.
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The former vice president emphasised that the right to free speech is constitutionally guaranteed, and any grievance, including defamation, should be pursued through the legal system, not by the use of law enforcement to settle personal scores.
Atiku further recalled a personal experience in 2019 when he was defamed but chose to take the matter to court rather than use state power for intimidation.
He called for the immediate and unconditional release of Farotimi, stressing that such acts of arbitrary arrest contradict the very principles of democracy that the country is supposed to uphold.