*Chief Afe Babalola Vs Dele Farotimi Trial Resumes in The Supreme Court Of The People – Cross Examiantion by the People’s Judge*

[LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This is just an Imaginary Conversation. It did NOT happen. it is just a fun skit for fun and entertainment only!]

*COURT:* Your name, please.

*Chief Afe Babalola* : My name is Afe Babalola, SAN, CON, OFR, FNIALS, FNSE, and Life Bencher, my Lord.
*COURT:* Indeed, an impressive résumé. Let us proceed. Chief Afe, were you fined ₦10 million personally by the Supreme Court in the Bayelsa election case for what they described as “conduct unbecoming of a senior lawyer”?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* Well… yes, my Lord, but it was just a procedural misunderstanding…

*Court (cuts in):* Procedural misunderstanding? Justice Augie reportedly delivered the ruling with tears in her eyes, castigating you and your fellow SANs for trying to abuse the Supreme Court process by filing a spurious motion to overturn a final judgment. Is that accurate?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* W-W-Well… y-you s-see, my Lord, it w-was an h-h-honest m-mistake—

*COURT:* Honest mistake? You attempted to overturn the final decision of the Supreme Court, which is supposed to be sacrosanct, and you were sanctioned for it. Is this the conduct of a man upholding the dignity of the judiciary?

*COURT:* Now, let us turn to the Wikileaks report. Chief Afe, are you aware that you were accused of bribing the Court of Appeal with $1.2 million in a case involving an election petition?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* That is preposterous! A baseless allegation!

*COURT:* Baseless? Did you sue Wikileaks for libel to clear your name?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* Er… n-n-no, my Lord…

*COURT:* Did you report this grievous allegation to Interpol or the Nigerian Police?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* N-n-not exactly, m-my Lord—

*COURT:* So, a global platform accused you of bribery, and you neither refuted it publicly nor took legal action? Yet here you are, dragging Mr. Farotimi to court for allegedly defaming you. Curious, isn’t it?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* W-Well, y-you s-see, it’s n-n-not the s-same, my Lord…

*COURT:* Let us discuss a certain divorce and child custody case. Is it true that you used your influence to involve the police and have a woman arrested for “kidnapping” her own children after she filed a custody case against her abusive husband, who worked at your university?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* That is a mischaracterization—

*Court (interrupts)* : Mischaracterization? A doctor has come forward, willing to testify that you personally returned the children to their father without any formal court hearing while the mother languished in jail. Did this happen, yes or no?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* W-Well, the s-s-situation was c-c-complex—

*COURT:* Complex? You bypassed due process and used your influence to favor your employee over a mother’s legal rights. Do you consider that the hallmark of fairness and justice?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* M-my Lord, I… I… w-was only t-trying to h-help…

*COURT:* Let us now address the famous “10 hectares for 248 hectares” error. Chief Afe, do you seriously expect this court to believe that the Supreme Court “accidentally” wrote “10 hectares” instead of “248 hectares”?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* My Lord, it was a clerical slip—

*COURT:* A clerical slip? 10 and 248 are not similar in sound, structure, or magnitude. You later joined the lawsuit, and suddenly, the court corrected this “slip.” Why didn’t any of the five Supreme Court judges notice this glaring error at the time of judgment?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* M-My Lord, it’s p-p-possible the slip w-w-was… overlooked—

*COURT* : Overlooked? And this “slip” cost someone billions of naira. Does it not appear curious that such an “error” was only corrected after you got involved?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* W-Well, I… I d-don’t think it’s f-fair ..

*COURT:* Chief Afe, is it true that Mr. Farotimi was abducted from Lagos by the police and taken to Ekiti, where you are regarded as a god and most influential citizen?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* I had no direct involvement—

*Court (interrupts):* No involvement? Yet Ekiti has no criminal defamation laws, and the charges were filed there anyway. Did you or did you not orchestrate this forum shopping?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* N-n-no, m-my Lord… I w-was only p-p-pursuing justice…
*COURT:* Justice? You caused multiple civil lawsuits, State and federal criminal charges (at the expense of the state and fedral govt), and an ex parte order against Mr. Farotimi, all while he languishes in jail without bail. Does this sound like justice to you, or vengeance?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* I… I… My Lord, it’s n-not v-v-vengeance—I am only trying ot protect my name.

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*COURT:* One final question. Chief Afe, what do you say to the argument that your excessive use of state and federal might in this case is proof of the very undue influence Mr. Farotimi accused you of?
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* M-My Lord, I have done n-n-nothing w-w-wrong… He is a rude boy who tried to ruin my 65 year legla career and needs to be taught a lesson.

*COURT* : That remains to be seen. But know this: when you silence critics with handcuffs, ex parte orders, and police interventions, you do not protect your reputation—you confirm every suspicion against you.
*CHIEF AFE BABALOLA:* W-W-Well, I d-d-don’t think—

*Court:* Chief Afe, let’s address another curious development. Is it true that you obtained an ex parte order from the court while Mr. Farotimi was still locked up and unable to respond?
*Afe Babalola (AB):* My Lord, it was a necessary step to protect my reputation—

*Court* (interrupts): Necessary? This “necessary step” essentially granted you a ruling on the substantive issues of the case without giving Mr. Farotimi an opportunity to defend himself. Do you understand how that appears to the public?
*cHIEF AFE bABALOLA* : W-well, m-my Lord, the c-court saw the merit in my c-c-case…

*Court:* The court saw merit in your case? Or was it that the court couldn’t hear the other side because the defendant was languishing in jail under questionable circumstances? Do you believe this aligns with the principles of fairness and justice?
*Afe BABALOLA:* M-my Lord, it w-was an u-unfortunate c-circumstance—

*Court:* Unfortunate? Chief Afe, you have essentially silenced the man who accused you while ensuring that your side of the story becomes the only narrative in the courtroom. Doesn’t this support the allegation that you are an operator who has captured the judiciary for your personal vendetta?
*Afe Babalola* : N-no, m-my Lord, I w-would never…

*Court:* Never? Yet here we are with an ex parte order that undermines the very idea of justice. You’ve turned what should have been a fair trial into a one-sided spectacle. Do you understand how this strengthens the perception that you are using undue influence to manipulate the system?

*Afe Babalola* : I… I… My Lord, I w-was only d-doing what was n-n-necessary to clear my name…

*Court:* Chief Afe, let us revisit the broader implications. You have initiated multiple civil lawsuits, criminal charges, and this ex parte order against Mr. Farotimi. Would you not agree that this goes beyond seeking justice and begins to resemble vengeance?
*Afe Babalola:* M-my Lord, I am only p-p-pursuing my rights…

*Court:* Your rights? While denying Mr. Farotimi the chance to defend his own? You have dragged him to court, orchestrated his arrest, and now obtained an order that essentially determines the case without his input. Does this sound like justice to you or an abuse of the system?
*Afe Babalola:* M-my Lord, I h-have done n-n-nothing w-wrong…

*Court:* Chief Afe, this court cannot ignore the optics. A man makes serious allegations about systemic corruption, including your involvement, and instead of disproving him through a fair and open process, you’ve gone out of your way to stack the deck. You’ve effectively turned a libel case into an indictment of the judiciary itself.

*AFE Babalola:* I… I… My Lord, this is a m-m-misrepresentation—

*Court* : Misrepresentation? Chief Afe, your actions have made this case less about clearing your name and more about confirming the very allegations you claim are false. If anything, the public now has even more reason to believe Mr. Farotimi’s claims, whether he can prove them or not. Do you see how this appears?

*Chief Afe Babalola:* M-my Lord, t-this is n-not fair—

*Court:* Fairness? That’s exactly what the court of public opinion is questioning. Your actions have raised serious doubts about the integrity of our judiciary, and you’ve made yourself the face of those doubts. That will be all for now. But remember, justice is not only about winning in court—it is about maintaining trust in the system. Good luck repairing that.

*COURT:* That will be all for now. We shall continue this cross examination to find out hte real truth later. But the court of public opinion is still in session. Be sure to come in person on next adjourned date. Dont send you acolytes sir.

*Social Influncer Bailiff:* COURT!!!!!