Moves By FG To Extradite Senator Kashamu To United States Halted

In a ruling yesterday, Justice Kolawole dismissed the extradition application lodged against Kashamu, who is representing Ogun-East Senatorial District, by the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has halted moves by the Federal Government to extradite Senator Buruji Kashamu to the United States of America, USA, to face a drug-related charge.

The application with suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/479/2015, which was filed before the court on May 28, 2015, was signed by the immediate past Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN.

The application was predicated on a request by the Embassy of the United States of America seeking the Nigerian government to surrender Kashamu to face one-count drug-related charge before the United States District Court for the Northern Illinois, Eastern Division.

An affidavit deposed to by Assistant US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Diane MacArthur, attached to the extradition request from the US government was said to be dated April 27, 2015.

The offence for which Kashamu is allegedly wanted in the US, was said to have contravened section 952(a) of Title 21, United States Code, and punishable under section 960 of the  same law.

According to the charge, the penalty for the offence on conviction under the law is an imprisonment of not more than 10 years or a fine of up to $10m in the case of an individual, or both.

 

Meanwhile, in a bid to prevent Kashamu from evading arrest, armed operatives of the NDLEA had besieged his house and kept him under house detention for days.