Top Yoruba actor, Yomi Fabiyi, has raised an alarm over veteran actor, Babatunde Omidina, aka Baba Suwe’s state of health.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The former attributes Baba Suwe’s ill health to his 2011 encounter with National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
Baba Suwe was arrested at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in 2011 on the suspicion that he had ingested cocaine wraps.
During the encounter, the popular comedian was detained for three weeks by the agency, but no drugs were found.
A Lagos High Court subsequently ordered NDLEA to pay the veteran actor N25 million for unlawfully detaining him and to also tender a public apology to him.
According to Fabiyi, these conditions have yet to be met and has necessitated him to issue a clarion call to his fellow actors to join in the fight.
“I am calling on all senior colleagues in the entertainment world especially those close to Baba Suwe because I don’t have everyone’s contact to please reach out to him as soon as possible. The torture meted out on him by NDLEA is vastly damaging his health at an alarming rate,” the actor said on his Instagram account.
“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?”
He said, “I don’t want to speak when it may be too late, I won’t forgive myself. When I visited him, he told me 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. NDLEA needs to restore public confidence by doing the needful on this matter.”
Currently at the forefront of ensuring that Baba Suwe gets justice, Fabiyi adds, “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.”