Court awards Baba Suwe N25m compensation 'We'll appeal - NDLEA

POPULAR comediancum actor, Babatunde Omidina (a.k.a Baba Suwe) was all smiles on Thursday, when Justice Yetunde Idowu of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja ruled that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) was not justified in detaining him for a long time without cause and awarded him N25 million as damages.Justice Idowu said the act of the NDLEA for detaining Baba Suwe for nine days before getting a court order to that effect was a flagrant abuse and infringement on his fundamental human rights, while she also ordered that the agency must publish a public apology to Baba Suwe in two widely read national dailies.'The act of the NDLEA in detaining the respondent for nine days from 12 October to 21 October is not justified. It is a flagrant abuse and infringement of his rights and his continuous detention is contrary to the provisions of Section 4 of the African Charter on human rights,' he said.She instructed that the publications, which must be made not later than 21 days from the day of judgment, must be placed on conspicuous pages of the national dailies.Justice Idowu was giving judgment in the N100 million suit instituted against the NDLEA by Baba Suwe, adding that the agency did not put all the facts of the case before the Federal High Court before they got the order.'An unlawful arrest does not only affect a man's movement and health, but it does also affect the reputation, because it is subjected to public opinion,' she said, adding that 'I quite agree with the NDLEA that there is a need to sanitise the country, but not in this form.'Counsel for Baba Suwe, Bamidele Aturu, at the end of the sitting, said 'it is our hope that this will send a strong signal to the law enforcement agencies.'However, the NDLEA Director of Public Prosecutions and Legal Services, Mr Femi Oloruntoba, said 'the judgment is not a reflection of the facts before the court and it is a misapprehension of the law, as it relates to power of the law enforcement agencies and the liberty of citizens.'He added that the agency would appeal, adding that the judgment could not stand the test of time.Baba Suwe, after the judgment, said 'I am so happy. I thank Nigerians.
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