Don’t extradite Kashamu to US on alleged drugs offences –Senate tells NDLEA

Senator Buruji Kashamu (PDP Ogun East) got a measure of reprieve on Tuesday against the move by the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other security agencies to extradite him to United States of America on as the Senate directed NDLEA and other interested parties to halt actions on the plan.

Kashamu has for some time been facing torments from the NDLEA on alleged drugs related offences, just as the Senator took his case to the court to prevent his planned extradition.

The Senate asked the law enforcement agencies pitched against Senator Kashamu to put their plans on hold until all court process concerning the matter are settled.

Senate Committee Chairman on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Samuel Anyanwu (PDP Imo East) who made this known during plenary said that the Senator’s travail was being masterminded by some people.

The Committee in the report as submitted by Anyanwu declared that Kashamu should be allowed to remain free until the cases in court have been concluded.

Anyawu noted that the NDLEA and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation have been orchestrating plans to arrest and take Senator Buruji Kashamu to the US over alleged drug trafficking offences without having regards for some court rulings against such move and even pending cases about it in courts.

He said the Committee found that out that the Senator had been presented at several courts in Nigeria and has been acquitted of all charges.

He, however, said that the two government institutions should wait for the outcome of fresh cases filed in court before taking any action.

He added that it was counterproductive for Kashamu to be extradited to the United States of America when the matter has not been exhausted in courts of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria.

The petition of planned extradition from TRLP Chambers, a private legal firm, on behalf of Senator Kashamu averred that: “It was wrong for the former Chairman of the NDLEA, Mr. Ahmad Giade and the Attorney General of the federation to order Kashamu’s extradition at the request of the United States.”

The Senate, in this regard, granted the recommendation that cases already pending in various courts be exhausted before any action on Buruji’s extradition could be taken.