The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has declined a petition by Chief Afe Babalola SAN’s Emmanuel Chambers to revoke the law license of lawyer and author Tomilola Titus Farotimi, popularly known as Dele Farotimi. The petition alleged criminal defamation and professional misconduct.
The complaint, filed by Emmanuel Chambers’ lawyer Mr. Ola Faro, accused Farotimi of defamation in his book Nigeria and Criminal Justice System. The book reportedly referenced case SC/146/2006 involving Major Muritala Gbadamosi Eletu and HRH Oba Tijani Akinloye, making claims about corruption, bribery, and unethical practices within the judiciary and legal community.
Farotimi was alleged to have distorted facts, disrespected fellow lawyers, and undermined justice for personal gain. Specific grievances included his remarks on a Supreme Court judgment impacting multiple residential estates and legal actions affecting the apex court’s ruling.
The petition asserted that Farotimi’s book violated provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2023. Consequently, Emmanuel Chambers requested that Farotimi’s name be removed from the Roll of Legal Practitioners.
However, the LPDC, in its report (B8B/LPDC/1571/2024), determined that the alleged misconduct stemmed from Farotimi’s role as an author rather than as a practicing lawyer. It concluded that it lacked jurisdiction over disputes regarding publications and advised aggrieved parties to seek remedies through the courts.
“The publication is an intellectual property and not a conduct or action committed while practicing as a Legal Practitioner. All aggrieved parties who find the publication ‘defamatory’ should ventilate their grievances through the regular courts,” the report stated.
LPDC Chairman, Justice Isaq Usman Bello, affirmed that the committee could not address the complaint due to jurisdictional constraints. The LPDC stressed that its mandate is limited to evaluating misconduct directly linked to legal practice.
This decision underscores the distinction between a lawyer’s professional conduct and activities outside legal practice, leaving individuals who feel wronged by such publications to pursue defamation claims in regular courts.
