Popular Yoruba comic actor, Babatunde Omidina, widely known as Babasuwe is not happy at the moment and the reason is not far-fetched. The comedian’s drug trafficking allegation levelled against him by members of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) 3 years ago has not only affected his career adversely but also caused a strain in his relationship with close friends, helpers and dignitaries.
In an interview with Encomium Magazine, Babasuwe disclosed that despite his acquittal in the case, nobody still wants to associate with him like before, producers have even stopped inviting him to movie locations.
“I have not collected any compensation money from NDLEA yet. The most painful thing is that I was wrongly accused. Had it been, I actually committed the crime, I won’t mind, but they just punished me for nothing. I was in NDLEA custody for almost three weeks, and nothing was found on me. No matter the kind of juju one may have, I don’t think there is anybody that can conceal cocaine for even two days. Even researches had shown that no one can habour the substance in the body for two days. It will burst inside the person’s stomach, which can lead to death. And I believe after all their investigations, they should have released me so I could continue with my career. But the whole situation, the way they treated me actually rubbished my image. My career has been dwindling.
A lot of people that are supposed to be inviting me to take part in their movies abandoned me because of the incident. Even a lot of people that could have assisted me financially don’t want to associate with me again. People within and outside the industry have deserted me on account of the allegation. They still doubt me despite my victory in court. I have sung praises of some people in some of my movies, and I always appreciate whatever they give me.
This makes a lot of people close to me. For instance, I was close to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu before and he was very nice to me. He had done a lot for me but now, it’s very difficult for me to be close to him. He is even not comfortable seeing me around him again because of the allegation. I don’t enjoy people’s love and admiration like before because people still believe that it was true”. He revealed.