Kashamu Blames Obasanjo In Extradition Plans To US

Blames poured in for ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo for working with local and foreign security agencies to exile  Buruji Kashamu, the Ogun East senator-elect and one of the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has to the USA over unlawful means.

The senator-elect said ex-president was involved in the supposed plan to extradite him to the United States over drug-related accusation in the US because of the defeat Obasanjo had suffered in the PDP.

Through his lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede, Buruji, said this in an appeal to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), looking for an investigation into the supposed plot to kidnap him and forcibly extradite him to the US.  

The petition, dated April 15, 2015 and addressed to Professor Bem Angwe, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, was named: “Prince Buruji Kashamu: Abduction plans by United States of America’s agents in collaboration with law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.” 

“The current plan to abduct him (Kashamu) is an admission by the US authorities that there is no case against him and is a design instigated and commissioned by Obasanjo who seeks revenge against him for the comprehensive political defeat Obasanjo suffered because of Kashamu in the PDP,” the lawyer wrote. 

He advised the NHRC to immediately interfere “in accordance with the jurisdiction expressly given to your commission by the National Human Rights Act 1995 as amended to carry out an inquiry into the matter in order to establish the culpability and compromise of certain institution in this despicable plan and to protect our client’s fundamental human right to liberty, life and dignity of his person.” 

Kashamu said despite previous court decisions both in Nigeria and the United Kingdom absolving him of the supposed crimes, “desperate politicians” were still mounting pressure on the Attorney General of the Federation to save the US accusation against him in Nigeria and extradite him to the US. 

Meanwhile, his lawyer said that the pressure on the AGF didn’t work because the US officials had never made a demand for extradition of Kashamu as required by the Extradition Treaty with the US and Nigeria, as well as the Nigerian extradition law.

The petition said further: “Kashamu’s enquiry revealed that indeed there had been moves by US officials within the region to secure the assistance of the head of the INTERPOL division in Nigeria, Mr. Solomon Arase, a Deputy Inspector General of Police, for the arrest and delivery to the US officials of Kashamu for transportation to the US without following the due process required by the Nigeria Extradition Act. 

“Mr. Kashamu’s informant revealed that Arase has confirmed that one Donna Chabot approached him in January 2015. The said Ms Chabot is an attache with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the American Embassy route Des Almedies BP 49 Dakar Senegal and requested that INTERPOL Nigeria assist in the abduction of Kashamu for the purpose of his forcible transportation to the US to face trial before Judge Norgel.”

It should be mentioned that Buruji Kashamu was little known before he returned home in 2003 from Britain, where he beat a U.S. extradition order, to allegedly become a main sponsor of President Goodluck Jonathan’s party.

Poll results posted late on April 1, Wednesday, identified Kashamu as senator-elect in southwest Ogun state. Opponents are challenging his victory in court, saying ballots were rigged.