Drug:Nollywood actor Baba Suwe nabbed with cocaine

Ace Nollywood comedian Alhaji Babatunde Omidina, popularly known as Baba Suwe, was arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Wednesday night in Lagos with substances suspected to be cocaine concealed in his stomach.

He was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport while attempting to board an Air France flight to Paris, France, spokesman for the NDLEA Mitchell Ofoyeju said yesterday.

Omidina was on his way to Paris to act as a master of ceremony in a naming event of an Air France staff scheduled for Saturday when he was arrested.

The Air France staff has also been arrested, Ofoyeju said.

Omidina was passing through the scanning machine at the airport when substances suspected to be hard drugs were detected hidden in his stomach, officials said.

The actor denied having swallowed any drugs, but officials said he could not explain the white substances seen through the machines in his stomach.

“He is now being detained at the NDLEA office at the airport and he is under intensive observation pending the time he will start excreting the drugs. We relatively suspect that he has drugs in his stomach,” Ofoyeju said.

Ofoyeju said from investigation, the comedian had traces of drugs in his stomach and that as a result of that he would have to stay for some time with the agency for it to be sure.

He added that the actor would need to go to the toilet several times for the agency to be able to confirm the existence of drug substances in his body.

Omidina, 53, is a popular Yoruba actor in the Nigerian movie industry Nollywood. He is famous for his comedy roles in Yoruba movies and has worked with nearly all operators in the industry.

In January 2005, Omidina received an award from the African Artists and Entertainers Afro-Hollywood Award in New York, which is considered like the African version of the Grammy award.

This was not the first time a Nollywood star was arrested trying to ferry drugs out of the country.

Actress Hassanat Taiwo Akinwande was caught with drugs in September 2006 at the same airport by the NDLEA and eventually excreted 92 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.214 kg. She was sentenced to three years in prison or N1 million fine in January 2007.

Another Nollywood actor, Uche Odoputa, was also arrested with cocaine at the MMIA in March 2007 on his way to London and later sentenced to eight months in prison.