Baba Suwe N25m lawsuit: NDLEA goes to appeal court

The tussle between the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and popular Yoruba act Babatunde Omidina popularly called Baba suwe has resurfaced, as NDLEA is seeking an appeal for judgment over the amount ordered to be paid to Baba Suwe by Lagos State High court.
Justice Idowu on Thursday November 24, 2011 had ordered the agency to pay the comedian the sum of N25m as compensation for illegally detaining and also publish a public apology to him in two widely read newspapers.
Femi Oloruntoba Director of persecution and Legal Services (NDLEA) said ‘the agency has an appeal pending in court over the judgment of the lower Court’.
The lower court in a considered ruling on Friday, March 2, 2012 refused the application on the grounds that the applicant was granted a conditional stay off the execution pending the determination of the appeal.
Head public affair of NDLEA Ofoyeju Mitchell in a statement said ‘The NDLEA in the motion of notice wants the appeal court to determine whether the applicant was entitled to the grant of stay of execution for the payment of N25m, pending the determination of the appeal filed by the appellant’
Justice Idowu ordered the government agency to, within 21 days pay the N25m to the Chief Registrar of the court. The registrar would then pay the money into an interest-yielding account in an agreed upon bank.