By Uche Amunike
The news of the death of Veteran Nigerian comic actor, Babatunde Omidina, popularly known as Baba Suwe has hit the airwaves. Baba Suwe’s death, which was confirmed by his son, Adesola Omidina on his official Instagram handle, came as a shock to his fans all over the country.
He described his father as a legend and a rare gem as he prayed for his soul to rest in peace.
The late thespian has since been on his sick bed as a result of a partial stroke he had after his alleged ordeal with the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), about 10 years ago.
Recall that the veteran actor was arrested by the NDLEA for allegedly being in possession of substances suspected to be cocaine.
He bared his heart to journalists in June as he narrated his unforgettable ordeal with the NDLEA, and the pains and suffering from that encounter as he was still affected by the inflictions they meted out to him back then.
Baba Suwe was accused of drug trafficking by the NDLEA, but the Lagos High Court found that allegation false and defamatory and they declared it as such.
The actor said that while in detention, the NDLEA give him injections to defecate the suspected substances and those injections crippled him and yet he was still found not to be in possession of any hard drugs.
His words: ‘As I speak with you, I cannot walk with both my legs. Just to visit the toilet in my room, I have to be carried there. Even using the toilet is a problem as well’.
‘Although I travel abroad for medical check-up, my body is still not okay at all. As I said, I cannot walk to my toilet at all without assistance. This development began about a week or two ago. Before then, I hardly walk properly and anyone who sees me would know that I have difficulty walking.’
While speaking after the Baba Suwe’s death, the president of the Theatre Arts and Motion Picture Producers Association of Nigeria, Bolaji Amusan, aka Mr Latin, confirmed that the veteran actor died at the age of 63 on Monday.
He was born August 22, 1958 in Lagos Island, the same area where his acting career began. He hails from Ikorodu local government area of Lagos State and started his acting career during his secondary school Days by joining a group called the Osumare Theatre Group.
It was after they performed a major stage play titled ‘Baoku’, that the group became popular and moved to Lagos Television for their stage plays.
Ever since Baba Suwe’s death was announced, his fans colleagues and dignitaries from all walks of life have been pouring in their tributes.
The Speaker, House of Representatives Femi gbajabiamila has also said that Baba Suwe’s death came as a rude shock, not just to his immediate family, but to many Nigerian homes who have experienced joy through his comical talent.
He condoled with the Omidina family, the people of Ikorodu-Lagos, the Nigerian film industry and the entertainment world, over Baba Suwe’s death.
