The Court of Appeal, Lagos has fixed April 18 to hear the appeal by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), challenging the N25 million damages awarded to Yoruba actor, Babatunde Omidina (Baba Suwe).

Justice Yetunde Idowu of an Ikeja High Court, had on Nov. 24, 2011, ordered the agency to pay N25 million as damages for unlawful detention of the respondent on suspicion of drug ingestion.

The court also ordered the agency to apologise to the actor publicly, in conspicuous pages of two national dailies.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the hearing on Friday at the appellate court had to be adjourned because the suit was listed for motion, instead of arguments.

The court, presided over by Justice Chima Nweze, said that the suit was wrongly listed for motion, instead of arguments.

Nweze said that in view of the error, the case was, therefore, adjourned to April 18 for definite hearing.

NAN recalls that Baba Suwe was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on the Oct. 12, 2011 on allegations of ingestion of narcotics.

He was detained for several weeks but did not excrete any such substance.

The trial judge, Idowu, in her judgment, held that the detention of the actor and the ill treatment meted to him while in custody violated his constitutionally-guaranteed rights.

Counsel to NDLEA, Mr Femi Oloruntoba, in a five-ground notice of appeal, urged the appellate court to set aside the judgment, claiming that the award of N25 million in favour of Omidina was arbitrary.

He also submitted that the trial court wrongly assumed jurisdiction to entertain the suit.

NAN