Veteran comic actor, Babatunde Omidina
popularly known as Baba Suwe was arrested by
the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at
the Muritala Mohammed International Airport on
the suspicion of ingestion of illicit drugs in
October 2011. The drugs were supposedly
discovered in the actor‘s stomach as he passed
through the scanning machine at the airport.
After detaining him for three weeks without
finding any drugs, NDLEA released the comic
actor.
An Ikeja High Court ordered the agency to pay
the sum of N25 million as damages for
unlawfully detaining him and also tender a public
apology to him. None of this ever happened and
in 2013, a Court of Appeal sitting in Igbosere,
Lagos, quashed the judgement of the high court,
saying there was no evidence to attract such.
Recently, producer and director, Yomi Fabiyi, has
alleged that a ‘long pipe’ was inserted through
the actor’s anus while in detention back in 2011
and the torture inflicted on him by NDLEA is
damaging his health at an alarming rate.
Read what Fabiyi wrote below.
“On BABA SUWE: I am calling on all SENIOR
COLLEAGUES in the entertainment world
especially those close to Baba Suwe cos I don’t
have everyone’s contact to please reachout to
him asap. The torture done on him by NDLEA is
vastly damaging his health at an alarming rate.
He told me he no longer feel comfortable since
that episode. Baba Suwe is a widower, he can
hardly walk properly as I speak, let alone go to
film. How will he feed and take care of the
children aunty Moladun left behind?”
“This is an A-List Entertainer and this conspiracy
of silence gives me MENTAL AGONY on my part,
I don’t want to speak when it may be too late, I
won’t forgive myself. He told me when I visited
him that he is innocent of the accusations and
yet a LONG PIPE was inserted through his anus,
he was detained for too long amongst other
things just because he was randomly suspected
like every normal person. In my opinion, only
lazy, ill-trained, unfit and uncivilised officers
torture in the name of investigation. Torture is
criminal and sinful. If this accusation is found to
be true by independent investigators, it shouldn’t
go unpunished.”
“The court asked NDLEA to pay him 25million for
damages which is yet to be obeyed but to me an
OPEN APOLOGY will placate him and illustrate
some dignified and civil approach from a
government agency that made him go through
all that without coming up with a single proof
after that prolonged detention and drama. He
who assert MUST prove! NDLEA needs to restore
public confidence by doing the needful on this
matter. And until individuals and government
agency begin to respect fundamental HUMAN
RIGHT and enhance duty of care, the essence of
Nigeria’s FREEDOM is far from been realistic. No
malice is intended against NDLEA with this
outcry, I just hope the leadership see this as a
clarion call for getting it right and save the
agency from sending an innocent person to an
early grave whereby leaving his children to suffer
unjustly. My humble take. Thank you.
#JUSTICEFORBABASUWE #SAVEBABASUWE
#SAYNOTOTORTURE”
Veteran comic actor, Babatunde Omidina
popularly known as Baba Suwe was arrested by
the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at
the Muritala Mohammed International Airport on
the suspicion of ingestion of illicit drugs in
October 2011. The drugs were supposedly
discovered in the actor‘s stomach as he passed
through the scanning machine at the airport.
After detaining him for three weeks without
finding any drugs, NDLEA released the comic
actor.
An Ikeja High Court ordered the agency to pay
the sum of N25 million as damages for
unlawfully detaining him and also tender a public
apology to him. None of this ever happened and
in 2013, a Court of Appeal sitting in Igbosere,
Lagos, quashed the judgement of the high court,
saying there was no evidence to attract such.
Recently, producer and director, Yomi Fabiyi, has
alleged that a ‘long pipe’ was inserted through
the actor’s anus while in detention back in 2011
and the torture inflicted on him by NDLEA is
damaging his health at an alarming rate.
Read what Fabiyi wrote below.
“On BABA SUWE: I am calling on all SENIOR
COLLEAGUES in the entertainment world
especially those close to Baba Suwe cos I don’t
have everyone’s contact to please reachout to
him asap. The torture done on him by NDLEA is
vastly damaging his health at an alarming rate.
He told me he no longer feel comfortable since
that episode. Baba Suwe is a widower, he can
hardly walk properly as I speak, let alone go to
film. How will he feed and take care of the
children aunty Moladun left behind?”
“This is an A-List Entertainer and this conspiracy
of silence gives me MENTAL AGONY on my part,
I don’t want to speak when it may be too late, I
won’t forgive myself. He told me when I visited
him that he is innocent of the accusations and
yet a LONG PIPE was inserted through his anus,
he was detained for too long amongst other
things just because he was randomly suspected
like every normal person. In my opinion, only
lazy, ill-trained, unfit and uncivilised officers
torture in the name of investigation. Torture is
criminal and sinful. If this accusation is found to
be true by independent investigators, it shouldn’t
go unpunished.”
“The court asked NDLEA to pay him 25million for
damages which is yet to be obeyed but to me an
OPEN APOLOGY will placate him and illustrate
some dignified and civil approach from a
government agency that made him go through
all that without coming up with a single proof
after that prolonged detention and drama. He
who assert MUST prove! NDLEA needs to restore
public confidence by doing the needful on this
matter. And until individuals and government
agency begin to respect fundamental HUMAN
RIGHT and enhance duty of care, the essence of
Nigeria’s FREEDOM is far from been realistic. No
malice is intended against NDLEA with this
outcry, I just hope the leadership see this as a
clarion call for getting it right and save the
agency from sending an innocent person to an
early grave whereby leaving his children to suffer
unjustly. My humble take. Thank you.
#JUSTICEFORBABASUWE #SAVEBABASUWE
#SAYNOTOTORTURE”
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