Baba suwe finally sues NDLEA for 1BN over detention

 Babatunde Omidina (aka `Baba Suwe) yesterday filed a N1bn suit against the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over his recent arrest and detention. In the suit filed at the Lagos High Court through his lawyer, Mr. Kunle Adegoke, Baba Suwe is contending his illegal detention.

    His lawyer, Adegoke averred that his client has excreted three times and nothing was found on him. He is therefore claiming total damages of N1bn. It will be recalled that `Baba Suwe was arrested by the NDLEA on October 12 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos and he is still being detained.
    The NDLEA had alleged that the 53-yearold actor had ingested substances suspected to be hard drugs, but there was no evidence to substantiate the claim even after the suspect had defecated thrice, under close observation. One of his lawyers, Mohammed Bashir, had earlier told journalists yesterday that a fundamental rights enforcement suit would be filed on his behalf within the next five days. Bashir had said:`We will be filing the suit before a Federal High Court in Lagos between now and Monday. We will be asking for N1 billion as compensation for damages suffered by him due to his illegal arrest and detention, as well as the embarrassment and defamation done to his reputation as a result of the incident.The lawyer further said that NDLEA officials had prevented him from meeting physically with Baba Suwe since his arrest, almost a week ago.
     I have visited the place twice since he was detained but was turned back and prevented from seeing my client. This denial of access to my client is another violation of his fundamental human rights,Bashir said. Meanwhile, following the extensive media blitz which has followed his incarceration over allegations of drug ingestion, two media outfits - Abuja based Image Merchant Promotion, is offering the actor the sum of N1m for an exclusive right to his story that is referred to as Expensive Shit of Baba Suwe.
Another media outfit Ð HuHu groups incorporated, publishers of HuHu online.com is also offering the Nollywood actor N1.5m to have his exclusive story. After excreting three times in seven days under strict surveillance and without any trace of hard drug in his excreta, the Chief Executive of the organization which also publishes the Economic Confidential magazine, Hajia Sikrat Yushau said the gesture is to provide detailed information on the experience and trauma the comedian went through during the saga.
      The media outfit noted that the controversy over the case of the artiste was very important to the public as his continued detention has generated a lot of debate in both the Economic and Entertainment sector. Hajia Sikrat said: Not minding other interests by legal practitioners to represent Baba Suwe in suing the government and the anti-narcotics agency over his ordeal, in the event that he is innocent, we strongly believe that such information from publishers of factual publication like ours could interest the members of the public.
She added that Òthe offer was not in any way to support drug trafficking but in solidarity with the comedian for his travails and unnecessary detention for many days without taking him to court.

Nationalmirror