In a high-profile legal battle, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Kehinde Ogunwumiju has filed a ₦500 million lawsuit against lawyer and author Dele Farotimi.
The lawsuit, filed in December 2024, accuses Farotimi of making false and defamatory claims in his book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.
The legal action, which was taken to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, claims Farotimi’s book wrongly portrays Ogunwumiju and his law firm, Afe Babalola & Co, as corrupt and unethical.
The book, published earlier this year, allegedly accuses Ogunwumiju’s firm of engaging in judicial corruption, including bribing judges and manipulating the justice system.
According to the court papers, the book also claims that Afe Babalola & Co had been involved in “doctoring” Supreme Court judgments and colluding with corrupt lawyers and incompetent justices.
Ogunwumiju is seeking ₦500 million in damages for the harm caused to his professional reputation and his firm’s business.
He also demands that Farotimi issue a public apology in two national newspapers and stop the sale of the book, which is available both in Nigeria and internationally on platforms like Amazon.
The lawsuit claims that the statements made in Farotimi’s book are “false, malicious, reckless, and defamatory.”
Ogunwumiju, who has been a prominent figure in Nigerian law for nearly two decades, insists that he has never been involved in any form of judicial corruption.
In fact, he has represented high-profile clients in both the public and private sectors, earning him respect as one of the most distinguished legal practitioners in the country.
His achievements include being appointed as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2017 and receiving the national honor of Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2023.
Furthermore, Ogunwumiju serves as a member of the Nigerian Bar Association’s executive council and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in the United Kingdom.
He has led Afe Babalola & Co’s Abuja office since 2012, and he is regarded as a key figure in Nigerian corporate law.
Ogunwumiju’s legal team has described the accusations in Farotimi’s book as baseless and harmful.
In his statement to the court, Ogunwumiju argued that these defamatory claims have already caused his firm to lose clients and damage his personal reputation within the legal community.
“The words complained of are not only false but also malicious, reckless, and defamatory,” said Ogunwumiju’s legal representatives in the court documents.
The book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System, examines corruption within Nigeria’s legal and judicial systems.
In the book, Farotimi, who is a founding partner of the law firm DF Legal in Lagos, claims that widespread corruption undermines the integrity of the nation’s judiciary.
Ogunwumiju, however, strongly denies that his firm has engaged in any of the activities outlined in Farotimi’s publication.
Farotimi, who also made similar remarks during a Channels TV interview in August, has yet to respond publicly to the lawsuit.
As of now, he is in court in Ekiti and could not be reached for comment at the time of writing.
This lawsuit has brought significant attention to the ongoing issues of corruption within Nigeria’s judiciary.
While the accusations against Ogunwumiju are particularly serious, this case also highlights the tension between lawyers who speak out against the system and those who defend its integrity.
At this stage, a date for the hearing of the lawsuit has not been set.
Legal experts suggest that the outcome of the case could have important implications for both Nigeria’s legal profession and the broader discourse around judicial reform.
