Veteran Nollywood actor, Babatunde Omidina popularly known as Baba Suwe is reportedly down with an unknown sickness. A Lagos based seasoned radio broadcaster said that no one among Baba Suwe’s friends and professional colleagues was willing to help solve his challenge. He said; “Baba Suwe is a good man. None of his people can say he is bad. And they are not helping him not because he behaved badly to them. They are not helping him because they care only about their family. That’s the nature of our actors, there is no exception. Imagine the caliber of people I told you I had spoken to about Baba Suwe’s case, yet none looks his way yet. But if, God forbid, he dies from the problem, they would be all over the place eulogising his qualities which they helped killed by their lack of empathy.”
Recall three years ago, Yomi Fabiyi brought the story to limelight, but many of his colleagues failed to help. The actor had raised the alarm over the health of veteran Yoruba actor, Baba Suwe, urging Nigerians to remember him in their prayers. He said the veteran actor is still traumatised over the the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) incident where he was detained after he was accused of injecting drugs. Fabiyi said the long pipe inserted through his anus seemed to be having effects on Baba Suwe as he can no longer move to movie locations.
A statement he circulated yesterday reads: “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 done on him by NDLEA is vastly damaging his health at an alarming rate. 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? This is an A-List Entertainer and this conspiracy of silence gives me mental agony on my part, I don’t want to speak when it may be too late, I won’t forgive myself.
”He told me when I visited him 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 uncivilized 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. The court asked NDLEA to pay him 25 million for damages which is yet to be obeyed but to me an open apology will placate him and illustrate some dignified and civil approach from a government agency that made him go through all that without coming up with a single proof after that prolonged detention and drama.
”He who assert must prove! NDLEA needs to restore public confidence by doing the needful on this matter. And 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. My humble take. Thank you. Yomi Fabiyi”.
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