NDLEA cautions lawyers, activists, relatives over Baba Suwe

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has called on lawyers and human rights activists, who have been agitating for the release of ace actor and popular Yoruba comedian Omidina Babatunde alias Baba Suwe.

NDLEA told the laryer to stop distracting the agency’s efforts and allow it conduct proper investigation into the case. Baba Suwe was arrested last Wednesday over allegation of ingesting cocaine. 

Spokesman of the agency, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, who spoke to Vanguard, yesterday, said: “Baba Suwe is not a different person and people who don’t know the way we carry out our investigations are complaining. It is also against our practice to make public the findings of our investigation, while it is still on.

“What he is going through now is the normal process of drug investigations and interference from lawyers, human rights activists and members of his family is stalling the entire process. “We urge them to exercise patience and allow us conduct our investigation properly. 

I also want to state that Baba Suwe’s case became highly celebrated because people saw him at the airport when he was asked to go through the scanner and then they started celebrating his arrest. “Sincerely, people don’t know the way we work, and it is improper for NDLEA to start telling members of the public that our suspects have excreted the first, second and third time.” 

“These are not what members of the public should know. They are purely products of investigations and not for the public. Members of the public should exercise patience and wait for the outcome of the investigation. On the other hand nobody in the NDLEA has a grouse with Babab Suwe. In fact none of our agents at the airport recognised him because he normally painted his faces in the movie.”

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BABA SUWE TO SUE NDLEA FOR N1BILLION DAMAGES

Report has it that Baba Suwe who is still in NDLEA custody since Wednesday October 12,2011 for alleged drug trafficking is yet to excrete the alleged drug after scanning machine had proved he has substance concealed in his stomach. 

He was reportedly on his way to France- in the night- when the Anti- drug agency's scanner indicated that he was smuggling drug. He was promptly arrested and thrown into detention. The comic act has excreted three times since his detention but no drug has so far been found on him. 

We learnt the scanning machine employed by the NDLEA, is called Soter RS, which was donated by the United States government to the agency in June 2008. The machine is believed to be one of the most sophisticated x-ray body scanning machines available for drug detection. 

The SOTER RS Security Body Scanner can undertake a whole body, clothing or body search, detecting everything hidden in or outside the human body within just 10 seconds. For seven days now, since the popular comedian was arrested and detained by NDLEA operatives, Nigerians have been waiting to know the outcome of the drug saga. 

The arrest of Baba Suwe is generating a lot of interest in the Nigerian media and social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter. His lawyer, Mohammed Bashir on Wednesday said that a fundamental rights enforcement suit would be filed on his behalf within the next five days and they planning a N1 billion suit against the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over his arrest and detention. 

Bashir talking to NAN reporter, 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,” he said. 

The lawyer further told NAN 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 added

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COMIC ACT,BABA SUWE TO FILE A LAWSUIT AGAINST NDLEA FOR DEFAMATION OF CHARACTER

According to NDLEA Director-General, Femi Ajayi,Babatunde Omidina, aka Baba Suwe would undergo Computerised Tomography Scan (CT Scan). 

and if the scan result shows that the actor has no drug concealed in his stomach, then he will be released. He claimed the comic Actor will be released if after third excretion, no drug is found. 

This is in line with the NDLEA standard operational rule, that says suspect should be released after third excretion. Ajayi further said Baba Suwe will only get an apology from NDLEA as he should take this as a sacrifice in the war against drugs. He ruled out the possibility of the actor taking legal action. Ajayi said: 

“As far as we are concerned Baba Suwe is innocent, at least for now, it is just normal that when there is reasonable suspicion, we take people in for observation. We learnt that Baba Suwe would likely file a lawsuit against NDLEA for defamation of character.

Further findings revealed that Nigerian actors under the umbrella of the Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts Practitioners are currently putting arrangements in place to stage a mass protest over the continuing detention of the actor. On Sunday, October 16 2011, the ANTP leadership circulated a message among it members reproduced below.

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