Nigeria native becomes newest D.A.

Wakil Oyedemi, seen in this photo taken March 11 in Hutchinson, moved to the United States in September 2001 from his native country of Nigeria. Oyedemi is the newest prosecutor in the Reno County District Attorney’s office. Oyedemi attended law school in Nigeria and Kansas University and also served in the U.S. Army for four years.

? In some ways, the newest addition to the Reno County district attorney’s office is like any other new prosecutor — fresh out of law school, he’s learning the ropes of his job and adjusting to life in Hutchinson.

But for Wakil Oyedemi, 39, the path to the local DA’s office has been anything but typical. For one thing, the native of Nigeria has been to law school twice.

As a law student in Nigeria, he faced pressure from the military regime because of his human rights activism.

Once in the United States, Oyedemi served a stint in the Army with the 1st Infantry Division, including a yearlong deployment to Iraq as a legal affairs specialist, before attending the Kansas University law school to be able to practice law in the U.S.

‘Enthusiastic and eager’

“He’s a very enthusiastic and eager individual, which was one of the things that attracted me when I interviewed him,” said Reno County District Attorney Keith Schroeder.

For his part, Oyedemi said he hopes to serve the interests of justice no matter which side of the aisle he is working — be it from a human rights law firm in Lagos, Nigeria, the Paul E. Wilson Defender Project at KU or prosecuting traffic offenses in Reno County.

Oyedemi grew up in Oyo, a village of about 130 people in southwestern Nigeria. The son of a food trader and grandson of a Yoruba tribal chieftain, Oyedemi said he graduated at the top of his class in high school but couldn’t afford to attend college in a country where academic merit scholarships are virtually unheard of.

Oyedemi entered an apprenticeship program as a carpenter for several years before a family friend and eventual stepfather who owned a shipping company, Isaac Jolapamo, stepped in as a benefactor.

Jolapamo paid for him to enter the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ife, Nigeria, to study English. Oyedemi said he initially wanted to be a journalist and write political opinion columns.

A career turn

By his second year, however, he was encouraged by friends and professors to enter law school — a five-year program in Nigeria. Once again, Jolapamo supported his decision.

After graduating from law school in 1998, he went to work conducting legal research for a human rights law firm in Lagos. His boss, Fred Agbaje, was subject to frequent harassment from the military authorities, who were constantly trying to arrest him.

Oyedemi and his wife immigrated to the U.S. in 2001 after his wife received a green card.

Their arrival in the states was somewhat delayed by unfortunate timing — they were in the air on Sept. 10, 2001, and were diverted to Canada after the Sept. 11 attacks, where they languished for about a week before being allowed into Dover, Del.

Oyedemi joined the Army. His Nigeria law degree did not allow him to practice in the U.S., but he could work in the military as a legal assistant — enough to support his wife and two children.

As an added benefit, Oyedemi came away from his deployment with his U.S. citizenship. Upon his discharge from active duty, Oyedemi began law school at KU, influenced in large part by the friendly reception he received from the school, as well as a shortened, two-year program of study the school has in place for students with a foreign law degree.

He participated in several projects and clinics while at KU, including the Paul E. Wilson Defender project, in which law students represent state and federal prisoners in the appeals process.

As a new prosecutor, Oyedemi said he is responsible for ensuring the fair and just application of the law regardless of which side he is on.