By Ali Elias
The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an ex-parte order suspending the production and distribution of the controversial book Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, authored by human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi. The book, which has gained international attention for its allegations of judicial manipulation, recently became a global bestseller in Amazon’s politics category.
Sahara Reporters detailed the events surrounding the court order, beginning with the arrest of Farotimi by armed police officers on December 3, 2024, at his office in Lagos State. He was subsequently transported over 300 kilometers to Ekiti, where he was arraigned the following day at a Magistrate Court in Ado-Ekiti. The charge: alleged criminal defamation of renowned legal icon Afe Babalola, SAN.
The contentious book accuses Babalola of exploiting judicial systems to secure favorable rulings for his clients. While these claims have sparked public interest and discussions about judicial integrity in Nigeria, they have also drawn condemnation for the use of police forces to silence Farotimi.
According to Sahara Reporters, Afe Babalola sought and obtained the court order to halt all sales and distribution of the book. Filed on December 6, 2024, under suit number CV/5372/24 by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, the head of Babalola’s law firm, the application requested the cessation of sales in both physical and digital formats and the seizure of royalties generated from the book.
The court’s interlocutory injunction explicitly restrains Farotimi and any associated individuals or entities, including major bookstores and online platforms such as Amazon, Roving Heights, Jazzhole Lagos, and others, from selling, distributing, or advertising the book. It also authorizes the seizure of all physical copies.
An excerpt of the injunction reads:
“An order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendant/respondent, whether acting by himself, his staff, employees, servants, privies, representatives, agents, publishers, distributors, sellers, re-publishers, re-sellers, or any other person however described including Amazon Online Bookstore, Rovingheights Bookstore, Booksellers Bookstore, Jazzhole Lagos Bookstore, Glendora Bookshop, Quintessence Lagos Bookstore and Patabah Books Limited from further publishing, selling, circulating, advertising, or distributing the physical/hard/digital/soft copies of the book authored by the defendant/respondent titled: Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System, online.”
The move to block the book comes as its growing popularity has brought international attention to the Nigerian judiciary. While critics praise Farotimi’s bold critique of systemic corruption, some argue that the legal response exemplifies the very issues the book exposes.
In response to the injunction, several distributors have ceased sales of the book. A source who attempted to purchase ten copies from a bookstore in Abuja confirmed the cessation to Sahara Reporters, stating:
“Our attention has been drawn to an injunction sought against the sale of the book in bookstores sought by a SAN in Abuja in which our company was named. Henceforth, we have ceased all sales of the book from our stores.”
The injunction and Farotimi’s ongoing legal battle have added another layer of intrigue to the controversy, raising questions about freedom of expression, judicial independence, and the limits of accountability in Nigeria’s legal system.