Abuja, Nigeria – Prominent Nigerian lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Afe Babalola, has been accused of leveraging police authorities to arrest and detain a former employee, Bridget Omon Emengo, in 2021 after she filed a lawsuit against him.
The suit, which alleged wrongful termination of employment, defamation of character, and violations of fundamental human rights, reportedly triggered a petition from Afe Babalola’s law firm to the Nigerian Police Force.
The Arrest and Detention
On October 3, 2021, Emengo, a former employee of Afe Babalola & Co., was arrested at her home by officers from the Monitoring and Mentoring Unit (MMU) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command. Despite her request to honor the invitation the following day due to her children’s presence, the officers insisted on her immediate compliance.
Emengo was subsequently detained after being arraigned at Magistrate Court 10, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja. She was granted bail in the sum of ₦300,000, with two sureties required. However, procedural delays meant her bail could not be perfected that day. She was then transported to Keffi Prison, only for prison officials to reject her due to COVID-19 protocols requiring female detainees to be quarantined at Suleja Prisons. The police returned her to court to amend the remand order but found that her bail had been finalized, leading to her release.
Allegations Against Afe Babalola
Emengo’s lawsuit, filed under suit number NICN/ABJ/29/2021, accused Babalola and several senior lawyers at his firm of discrimination, defamation, and abuse of legal processes. The arrest, she alleged, was orchestrated as retaliation for her legal action and as a means to intimidate her.
In a Facebook post, Emengo stated:
“The said complaint/petition was signed by Olamide Mojogbotoluwa Adekunle, and the allegation against me in the petition was that the averments in my witness statement on oath were false. Instead of filing a defense in court, the firm chose to file a petition to the police, alleging perjury, defamation, and blackmail.”
A Pattern of Legal Intimidation?
This incident is not the first involving allegations of harassment linked to Afe Babalola. In December 2024, human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi was arrested after Babalola filed a petition accusing him of criminal defamation over statements in his book Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System. Farotimi remains in detention despite being granted bail by two courts.
Public Reactions
The cases have drawn widespread criticism from human rights advocates, who view them as a misuse of law enforcement to silence critics and former associates. Critics argue that such actions undermine Nigeria’s legal system and discourage citizens from seeking redress for grievances.
Efforts to obtain comments from Afe Babalola & Co. regarding these allegations were unsuccessful as of press time.
These developments raise questions about the balance between legal privileges and accountability for Nigeria’s top lawyers and law firms.