Appeal Court ruling leaves Sen. Kashamu open for arrest, extradition

The ruling of the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division on Friday granted Nigerian law enforcement agencies powers to arrest Senator Buruji Kashamu should the need to do so arise.

The court by its ruling null8ified the earlier judgment of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which prohibited the arrest of the senator by any Nigerian law enforcement agencies.

The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had in May 2015 laid siege to Kashamu’s residence in Lagos in a bid to arrest and send him to the United States (US) to face alleged drug charges.

Kashamu, who had then refused to submit himself to federal authorities, approached Justice Abang for the enforcement of his fundamental rights, arguing that there was a plot by Nigerian security agencies to abduct and extradite him to the US.

Abang had in his ruling on the matter granted an order barring the NDLEA or any other law enforcement agency in the country from arresting the senator.

After all efforts by Attorney-General of the Federation to have Kashamu arrested for extradition, proved abortive, the Federal Government dragged the matter to the Court of Appeal.

And in its ruling on Friday, the appellant court panel led by Yargata Nimpar dismissed Abang’s ruling and held that Kashamu was not above the law and could be arrested when necessary.

Meanwhile, Kashamu, who represents Ogun East senatorial district at the Senate, in a statement he signed and released through his media aide, Austin Oniyokor, in response to the court ruling, argued that the Friday judgment had nothing to do with his extradition.

“My attention has been drawn to today’s judgment of the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos in an appeal filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) against the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court, Lagos, in my favour in a fundamental human rights enforcement suit.

“Let me state from the outset that contrary to the wrong impression being created by a section of the media, there isn’t any extradition matter against me in any court in Nigeria or abroad. The illegal move surreptitiously introduced by the powers-that-be after the 2015 abduction plot was exposed has been dismissed. That was in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/479/2015. The suit was dismissed on the 1st of July, 2015, for being an abuse of court process. Anything to the contrary is sheer mischief and over sensationalism by some reporters,” the senator said.

Kashamu has constantly denied being sought in the US. on drugs charges.

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