Nigerian doctor to sue US govt for $400m over unlawful detention

A Nigerian living in the United States, Segun Adeoye, is set to sue the American government for about $400 million for what he termed unlawful detention.

Adeoye, a medical doctor and specialist in family medicine, is seeking nearly $400 million in compensatory and punitive damages for his unlawful detention, according to the civil rights violation suit filed by his lawyer Femi Ogunjumelo of Mayday Law Office, Houston, Texas.

He was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a case involving hundreds of Americans who were scammed out of $17 million in a romance scam and other fraud. Every person charged was convicted except Adeoye, who was acquitted.

He was acquitted by a jury in March 2024 after he was held in jail for 30 months and deemed a flight risk.

Despite his release, Adeoye is yet to get back his passport and green card, reportedly being withheld by federal authorities.

Fox26houston reported that Adeoye went to help in a hospital in Kermit, Texas back in 2021, during an uptick in COVID cases and was arrested on his first day in the emergency room by federal agents,

The media outfit stated that Adeoye had a childhood friend who was one of 23 people charged in the huge Department of Justice bust.

“Something I don’t wish my enemy to go through. I’ve lived a near-perfect life, and it was more than shocking. I asked the FBI agent, ‘you sure you have the right name?” Adeoye said.

” I lost my dad while I was in jail. I had no time to grieve or attend his funeral. He died thinking the son he raised right, was locked in jail

“It’s been tough, very tough. When I was locked in jail, I had my Christmas meal in a cell that was flooded with excrement. Now that I’m out, some friends won’t deal with me, because there’s still a cloud of doubt.

“My God, it’s an experience you don’t wish your enemy to go through. One comforting factor, I knew the outcome. I knew I was going to be found not guilty. It was just the wait that was, actually, it nearly broke me.

“I had no doubt I would be acquitted. My worry was how do I get my name back?”

“Your life has been given back to you, but it’s not. It’s going to take years to rebuild.”

Speaking after his release Adeoye’s lawyer Ogunjumelo confirmed they will sue the American government.

“We’re suing the U.S. government,” he said. “I don’t know if a particular dollar amount can fully compensate for what he’s gone through, for what he’s suffering. This is all about accountability and making sure this doesn’t happen to anyone ever again.

“After he came out, he’s a different man. No big hospitals will touch him. He has to find a job in some freestanding ER. He had two houses. They were all gone while he was in there.”