Sola Adeyemo 
The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and socio-political organisation Afenifere yesterday praised Aare Afe Babalola (SAN) for dropping his court case against human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi.
Babalola had filed criminal charges against Farotimi for claiming in his book titled: Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System that he corrupted the judiciary.
However, the legal icon announced at the Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) on Sunday that had agreed to drop the defamation case following the intervention of the Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and other traditional rulers.
In a statement by National Publicity Secretary Jare Ajayi,Afenifere said: “By so doing, Aare Afe Babalola has demonstrated, as a true Yoruba son, certain core ethos of being an Omoluabi.
“He came to defend his reputation and when he was appealed to by our foremost traditional institutions, he dropped the gauntlet. This is highly commendable.”
The group also applauded the Ooni and other monarchs “for the bold step they took”, saying: “They acted as true elders in line with the saying that elders would not sit by in a marketplace to watch the dangling head of a child.”
