Stephen Egbayelo.

As they say, bad news travels faster than good news, especially in this digital age where all sorts of news fly at a frenetic pace. Although good news also travels, it does so at a much slower pace, like the pace of a snail. The reason for the difference in the speed of travel between the two types of news is not far-fetched: Humans react faster to bad news than good news.

It’s in the context of the foregoing that one is moved to spotlight the audacious intervention of a United States-based lawyer, Femi Ogunjumelo, who is trying to get justice for another Nigerian, Segun Adeoye, a medical doctor, unlawfully detained by the US Department of Justice for close to 30 months for an offence he never committed.

Barrister Ogunjumelo’s intervention to help another Nigerian get justice against the American government surely constitutes some good news from the diaspora which deserves platforming and amplification for the sake of today and tomorrow.

Dr Adeoye, a family medicine specialist, was arrested by the agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation sometime in September 2021 while he was on duty at a hospital in the Kermit Area of Texas allegedly for being involved in a romance scam that reportedly stole £17 million from the victims, mostly Americans.

From 22 September 2021 when he was arrested, Dr Adeoye did not regain his freedom until March 2024 – a harrowing period of almost three years- when a jury discharged and acquitted him of the two-count indictment slammed against him.

Despite Dr Adeoye’s repeated applications for bail, which he certainly merited in the eye of the law, he was denied by the court on the premise that he constituted a fight risk being of dual nationality. His appeal for a speedy and separate trial was also flatly denied thereby violating his fundamental rights as encapsulated in the American Constitution.

It is noteworthy to state that of the 23 people arrested and prosecuted for the crime, only Dr Adeoye was discharged and acquitted. But his acquittal did not just happen overnight. He went through hell on earth to prove his innocence.

While Dr Adeoye was away in detention, he lost his two houses. His three thriving medical practices were also gone. That was not all. His family members- 13 of them- who were living with him before his arrest all scattered, with some relocating to Canada to start all over again. He also lost his dad while in detention and could neither grieve nor give him a befitting burial.

Despite his discharge and acquittal, he has not retrieved his passport and green card reportedly being withheld by federal authorities. The horrible experience he went through while in incarceration has left him with a trauma he is now condemned to treat for life.

Who will bear the cost of his treatment in perpetuity for PTSD? What about the reputational harm social and professional ostracisation he is made to suffer from for no fault of his? What about the job loss? Who will be held responsible for the multitude of losses he suffered while in pre-trial detention?

Well, all hope is not lost for Dr Adeoye courtesy of a civil litigation suit filed on his behalf by his attorney, Femi Ogunjumelo of MayDay Law Firm, Houston, Texas, US.

The suit filed on 22 October 2024 currently before the US District Court for The Eastern District of Texas, according to Mr Ogunjumelo, who studied Law both in Nigeria and the US, aims to secure some compensatory relief for the victim.

Among others, Barrister Ogunjumelo claimed in the suit that Mr Adeoye was denied a prompt detention hearing under 18 USC and 3142(f) while his ordeal lasted.

The lawyer, who now practises solely in the US, contended that his victim was denied due process under the 5th and 14th Amendments, in addition to being denied protection against unlawful seizure, wrongful detention and violation of the Speedy Trial Act of 1974.

Apart from the above, Barrister Ogunjumelo also claimed that his client was denied bail twice, despite insufficient evidence and that his rights under the Speedy Trial Act were violated, causing profound damage to both his personal and professional life.

Detained unlawfully for more than 28 months without a trial, the suit claims that the defendants breached the Speedy Trial Act of 1974 and that the unlawful detention caused him to suffer personal, emotional, financial and reputation harm.

To bring succour to the victim, at least to recover some material loss, Barrister Ogunjumelo is seeking six prayers from the court for Dr Adeoye, who cannot even travel to Nigeria at the moment to see his sick mum

The first prayer is compensatory damages in the amount of Three Hundred and Twenty Million US dollars to compensate for the significant emotional distress, reputational damage, loss of income and destruction of his medical practice caused by the defendant’s action.

The second prayer Barrister Ogunjumelo is seeking for his victim from the court is punitive damages, which is in the amount of 50 million US dollars against the defendants as punishment for their wilful, malicious and reckless disregard for his constitutional rights and to deter similar conduct in the future.

He is also seeking declaratory relief that the defendants’ action violated his client’s constitutional rights under the 14th Amendment, the Speedy Trial Act of 1974 and other principles of due process based on his profound knowledge of the law in this particular instance.

Barrister Ogunjumelo also wants the court to award reasonable attorney’s fees and costs incurred in bringing the action, according to 42 USC and other applicable laws.

Besides the above, the lawyer also wants the court to award interest on pre- and post-judgments on all compensatory and punitive damages as permitted by law.

A copy of the suit seen by this writer is as comprehensive and detailed as it could get, which bears eloquent testimony to the legal erudition of Barrister Ogunjumelo and his team at MayDay Law and their clinical attention to details.

All said and done, justice might have been delayed in the trial of Dr Adeoye, but it was not denied eventually. Nevertheless, he truly deserves the compensation being sought as deemed fit by the court given that he was made to suffer unlawfully for a crime he never committed. Barrister Ogunjumelo has vowed to help him secure the compensation. So help them, God. Amen!