The hope of ace comedian, Babatunde Omidina, popularly known as Baba Suwe, of having access to the N25 million awarded him by the court in his case against the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency appears far flung.
This is because the NDLEA on Friday headed to the Court of Appeal to seek a stay of execution of the judgement of Justice Yetunde Idowu of a Lagos High Court that the agency should deposit the judgement money with the court pending the final determination of the suit.
According to a statement on Friday by the NDLEA’s Head, Public Affairs, Ofoyeju Mitchell, the agency said it has shown exceptional or special circumstances why the Court of Appeal must exercise discretion in granting the application.
Mitchell said the agency’s Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Femi Oloruntoba, is handling the issue.
Idowu had on November 24, 2011 ordered the agency to pay Omidina N25 million as compensation for detaining him for nine days and to publish a public apology in two national newspapers.
Dissatisfied with the judgement, the NDLEA on December 6, 2011, filed a motion for a stay of execution of the entire judgement.
The court in a considered ruling on March 2, 2012, refused the application on the ground that the applicant is granted a conditional stay of execution pending the determination of the appeal.
It added that the judgement sum of N25 million be paid to the Chief Registrar of the Lagos State High Court, who will in turn pay the said amount into an account with any reputable bank agreed by both parties.
The NDLEA in the motion of notice prays the Court of Appeal to determine whether the applicant is entitled to the grant of stay of execution of the judgement for the payment of N25 million in this case pending the determination of its appeal.