Assumption destroys like an atomic bomb and when the capacity of assumption is assessed from a security point of view, it is unarguably a weapon of mass destruction.
Closely related is Josef Goebbels’s principle of propaganda, which states eerily that: “If you tell a lie big enough repeatedly, people will eventually come to believe it”.
Simply put, when a lie is told many times and left unchallenged, it becomes the truth. In the same vein, a well-orchestrated assumption has the capacity to infect many people wittingly and unwittingly, and oftentimes, pushes them to go on an onslaught.
These time-tested tactics and predilection are evidently at the core of the motive behind a pamphlet titled: “Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System” written, published and widely circulated by Dele Farotimi (DF), a lawyer and political activist. Unsurprisingly, the pamphlet has become sensational, controversial and deeply polarising subject within and outside Nigeria.
Mindful of the legendary gullibility of Nigerians and taking advantage of the ubiquitous social media hordes and mob, the writer offers a salacious meal of fiction, falsehood, and faction over which his diehard followers are picking their teeth.
However, thrown into the mix is the reputation of one of Nigeria’s greatest living lawyers, Afe Babalola, who is accused of corrupting the temple of justice together with some lords in that temple.
It should not surprise anyone that Afe Babalola, who stands accused of egregious crime(s) in the court of public opinion especially the social media where DF holds sway, is fighting hard to clear his name.
No one should expect less from the erudite lawyer of 64 years standing, and it is gratifying that Afe Babalola is fighting to clear his name only through the instrumentality of the laws of the land.
As interested parties and public intellectuals, we read and thoroughly digested Farotimi’s pamphlet. Considering the hot debates and controversies generated by the pamphlet, it becomes imperative to state our observations for clarity and public good.
We do this to expose the infamy underlining DF’s act and to also prevent lore from racing ahead of leitmotif. We observed that the pamphlet is self-authored, self-edited, and selfpublished, without an editor’s input and was extensively self-advertised by DF through his social media presence.
From the pamphlet’s foreword, instead of intellect and reason, the author deploys wanton emotionalism in launching a well-coordinated attack on Afe Babalola, casting aspersion on his integrity with foul language, vaunted slogans, and catchy phrases, to create a lasting impression of fraud and underhand dealings against the nonagenarian.
Other eminent personalities in the temple of justice were also dragged in the mud and before the court of public opinion with urgency and agency to justify a rash action.
At the core of DF’s writing is a legal matter of which he has a vague idea because of his very minimal involvement. But he is ‘clever’ not to let the public into important details such as the case file, title, dates, figures, and venue relating to the matter.
But he did well to dress and convey the isolated matter in his pamphlet as judiciary-driven corruption to rouse the mob into frenzy against Afe Babalola, one of Nigeria’s most successful lawyers. It is noteworthy that Farotimi targeted specific groups, especially the social media warriors with a tailor-made message which they swallowed hook, line, and sinker.
These groups wasted no time in spreading the pamphlet’s headlines and content like harmattan fire because it is in our character to want to pull down successful people, who are not only seen as being powerful but friends with the high and powerful.
Intimidation was a weapon of choice together with a cult personality created around Farotimi to fuel a social media mob action against Aare Afe Babalola, who quickly became a victim of vitriol and cyber bullying of the most despicable nature.
However, despite the assumptive principle on which Farotimi’s pamphlet is based and promoted with a veiled intention of manipulating public opinion in his favour and against Afe Babalola, some discerning minds recognised the tactics and decided to research the facts of the matter so as not to be swayed into fallacies of wrong assumption and hasty generalisation.
The facts of the case are straightforward. It was common ground between the parties that the 254.8 hectares of land in dispute and described in the Deed of Conveyance dated 23/8/77 and registered as No.36 at Page 36 in Volume 1648 of the Register of Deeds of Lagos State Lands Registry originally belonged to the Ojomu Chieftaincy family.
The family sold the land to Chief Gbadamosi Eletu in the 70s. It was also a common ground that sometime in 1981, the Governor of Lagos State revoked all rights of occupancy in Lekki Peninsula, including the land in dispute. Thus, the Ojomu family challenged the revocation in suit No. ID/1383/89 (Fatai Ajetumobi & Ors v AG Lagos State) in which action the revocation was set aside.
Despite winning the case on the revocation, the Ojomu family surreptitiously entered negotiation with the Lagos State Government, which culminated in a memorandum of agreement where the land was shared between the state government and the Ojomu family. Under the memorandum of agreement, the area conceded to the Ojomu family included the land earlier sold by them to Chief Gbadamosi Eletu.
When the children of Gbadamosi Eletu protested the arrangement, the Ojomu family filed an action to claim ownership of the land in dispute, which was fought up to the Supreme Court. In addition, the children of Gbadamosi Eletu filed a counter claim for the 254.8 hectares of land and won. But there was an error in the judgement of one of the justices.
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