N100m suit: NDLEA to produce detained actor in court today
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FRANCIS FAMOROTI 01/11/2011 00:00:00
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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is expected to produce before an Ikeja High Court today, the detained popular Yoruba comic actor, Babatunde Omidina a.k.a. Baba Suwe. Justice Yetunde Idowu had on October 26, this year, ordered that the actor be produced before the court sequel to an application for the enforcement of fundamental rights brought on behalf of the detainee by his counsel, Mr. Bamidele Aturu.

The agency through its spokesman, Mitchell Ofoyeju, had assured that Omidina would be brought to court in compliance with the court’s directive. NDLEA had arrested Omidina on October 12, this year at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja and kept him in custody, over suspicion of ingestion of substances believed to be narcotic drugs. As at yesterday morning, the detainee was yet to excrete any narcotic drug. On October 26, Omidina through his lawyer, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, had gone to the court seeking its nod to produce the actor or order his release unconditionally.

In the application brought pursuant to Order IV Rules 3 and 4 of the 2009 Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules, the applicant sought an order directing the NDLEA to release him from detention forthwith pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit. In the alternative, he prayed the court for an order asking the agency to produce him in court at the next adjourned date and show cause why he should not be released unconditionally from detention. Omidina is also asking for N100m as compensatory damages for his unlawful and unconditional detention. It will be recalled that National Mirror had on October 18 exclusively reported that the NDLEA might be liable to pay compensation and make a public apology to the actor, if it turned out that he was being unlawfully detained.


http://nationalmirroronline.net/news/24077.html