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Professor Yemi Akinseye-George, SAN, a renowned legal practitioner, has strongly criticised a controversial book authored by activist and lawyer Dele Farotimi, describing it as legally unsound and harmful to the reputation of the legal profession.
Speaking during an interview with Arise News on Saturday, the senior advocate expressed dismay over the book’s alleged inaccuracies and its attacks on esteemed legal figures, including Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, and the judiciary.
Professor Akinseye-George expressed deep concerns over allegations of defamation involving Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, and activist Dele Farotimi during an interview with
He condemned the publication in question, highlighting its alleged inaccuracies and the potential damage to the legal profession.
“It is very unfortunate that a book has been written without ensuring that the book is properly situated within the permissible parameters of the law,” Professor Akinseye-George stated.
He criticised the content of the book, describing it as both legally unsound and factually incorrect. “It is demeaning of the entire legal profession that a member would write things that are not legally sound, factually correct, and, unfortunately, in the age of social media, this book is now being paraded as something that people should read.”
He went further, condemning the book as “full of lies and falsehood,” adding, “I’ve read the book, and I found it demeaning that a member of the noble profession would pull this kind of thing together.
“It’s a different thing if you are just an activist and you don’t know the law, but a man who knows the law should endeavour to ensure that you keep within the framework of the law, not targeting or attacking personalities who have built their reputation over the years.”
Professor Akinseye-George emphasised that the alleged defamation extended beyond Chief Afe Babalola, saying, “It’s not only about Chief Afe Babalola who has been attacked, but the entire profession. The Justice of the Supreme Court has been attacked.”
Expressing further dismay, he remarked, “Sadly enough, reading this book, even an elementary Law 101 student would know that many of the things written in this book are not factual; they are not legally founded. This is an attempt to rubbish the legal profession.”
Regarding calls for disciplinary action against Dele Farotimi, Professor Akinseye-George commented on the ongoing petition before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC). “A petition is before the LPDC, and it’s a body of seasoned lawyers and judges. It’s an independent body of the legal profession.
“LPDC is a court, and once a matter is pending before the LPDC, I’m not going to come here and comment on it or predict what’s going to be the outcome of the judgment.”
He stressed the role of the LPDC in upholding professional standards. “What I know as a matter of principle is that all members of the legal profession are subjected to the regulation of the professional bodies, and one of the bodies that has been established to regulate the conduct of lawyers is the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee. So, I’m not going to forecast what the LPDC would decide.”
Professor Akinseye-George also addressed the broader issue of activism within the legal community, warning against its misuse. “Activism is not a license for irresponsibility, recklessness.
“It doesn’t give you a license to libel people and destroy reputations that have been built over decades. That’s not what is called activism; that’s irresponsibility.”
While acknowledging challenges in the legal profession, he noted the ongoing efforts to address them. “We know there are challenges in the profession; we are dealing with the challenges in our profession, just as there are challenges in every sector of the country. And not only in Nigeria—the human system is always a moving target, human development is always a moving target.”
He further criticised the outright condemnation of the legal system. “New laws are being made, laws are being amended. But for somebody to wake up and say that everything is bad, everything is evil, nothing works, and you are expecting that same system to protect your rights, I think it’s preposterous.”
Professor Akinseye-George concluded by underscoring the independence of the legal system. “The validity of a legal system does not depend on the opinion of the public. Unfortunately, we do not use the opinion of the public to apply the law. The public would always have their comment.”
Boluwatife Enome
The post Akinseye-George: Claims In Dele Farotimi’s Demeaning, An Attempt to Rubbish the Legal Profession appeared first on Arise News.
