Kashamu says NDLEA has no constitutional right to extradite me

Buruji Kashamu

On Tuesday, embattled Ogun Senator-Elect, Buruji Kashamu, revisited his row with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, declaring that the agency has no role to play in extradition proceedings against him, until a warrant of arrest has been issued by the court.

On May 23rd, the agency had placed Mr. Kashamu on house arrest, with the aim of extraditing him to United States over alleged drug offences.

A court declared the house arrest illegal.

The development took another dimension Tuesday when Mr. Kashamu denied that he had been served extradition notice by the NDLEA.

The NDLEA had said it served him the proceedings.

In a reaction through his counsel, Ajibola Oluyede, the lawmaker-elect denied receiving the notice, and said the agency has no right to issue such.

“We wish to state that the NDLEA has no role to play in extradition proceedings until a warrant of arrest has been issued by the court,” the statement said.

“It is the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice that initiates extradition proceedings after receiving a request by an order directed to the court and asking the court to take over the matter. It is the court that will decide whether a warrant of arrest is necessary.

“It is the court that will consider all the evidence provided by the United States to see whether it satisfies the onus of proof and that it establishes that the person sought is the person that actually participated in the offence alleged. In this case, the NDLEA is very jumpy, nervous and unsettled because it has exposed its unprofessionalism when before any extradition proceedings had been commenced at all,” he said.

Mr. Kashamu also accused the immediate past Attorney General of Federation, Mohammed Adoke, and Chairman of NDLEA of working for his political opponents who will do anything to deprive him of his senatorial mandate.

“There are many things wrong with the documents filed by the immediate past AGF. But all these will be dealt with in the court in due course. The triumphant announcement by the NDLEA that they have served Prince Kashamu with extradition proceedings is not only laughable but false. He has not been served. Rather, a copy of the process was dropped in our office in Lagos yesterday. So, we shall deal with it in accordance with the law.”

“In the meantime, the NDLEA should be warned to stay away because they have no role to play in the current proceedings. And if we should discover that they have usurped the functions of the AGF, we shall certainly make an issue of it,” Mr. Kashamu warned.