Baba Suwe: Court Declines NDLEA’s Request

Justice Yetunde Idowu of Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, on Tuesday, declined to hear a motion filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) seeking to stay execution of the judgment of a Lagos High Court, which ordered the agency to pay N25 million to a popular comedian, Babatunde Omidina, also known as Baba Suwe, as compensation for detaining him for several days over allegation of drug trafficking.

The NDLEA’s Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Femi Oloruntoba, informed the court that the agency’s appeal was ripe for hearing and that there was a pending motion before the court, asking for stay of execution of the judgment of the lower court.

Rather than stay execution of the judgment, as the NDLEA has pleaded, the Justice disclosed that the court was more disposed to granting accelerated hearing of the appeal. Also, the court granted the application filed by Baba Suwe’s counsel, Chukwuyem Atewe, for an extension of time within which he could file his respondent brief.

However, October 18th, 2012, was fixed for the hearing of the substantive appeal.