A Federal High Court in Lagos has asked the
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to suspend
all actions on the move to extradite the Ogun East
Senator-elect, Mr. Buruji Kashamu, to the United
States to face trial on alleged drug trafficking
offences.
The presiding judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, while
adjourning hearing in all pending applications on the
subject matter till June 19, said on Thursday that
status quo must be maintained till all the
applications were decided one way or the other.
Pending before Buba is the committal suit filed by
Kashamu against the Attorney General of the
Federation and the Chairman of the NDLEA, citing
them for contempt of court.
In response, the NDLEA is challenging the
jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter.
Besides, the anti-narcotic agency is seeking the
reversal of the court order of May 26 which directed
it to withdraw more than 50 of his operatives that
had laid siege to Kashamu’s house.
At the resumed proceedings on Thursday where the
AGF, NDLEA chairman and Kashamu himself were
expected before the court, the NDLEA lawyer, A. M.
Sunday, said the agency had yet to be served with
the originating processes in Kashamu’s committal
suit.
Sunday said all that the agency received was the
court’s order of May 26 directing it to withdraw its
armed operatives from Kashamu’s Lagos residence.
The lawyer, however, said the NDLEA had filed a
motion seeking to set aside the court order, adding
that the jurisdiction of the court was also being
challenged.
However, Kashamu’s lawyer, Mr. R.A. Oluyede, in
opposition to the NDLEA, said the agency’s motion
had no relevance, saying it had been overtaken by
events.
Oluyede urged the judge to make additional orders to
prevent NDLEA from overreaching the court.
He urged the court to nullify any warrant of arrest
that might have been obtained through any source in
an attempt to extradite Kashamu.
He urged the court to declare the fresh move by the
respondents to commence extradition proceedings
against him in the face of the existing judgment of
the court restraining them from doing so as illegal.
He also sought a court order directing the Inspector
General of Police to provide security for Kashamu to
prevent the respondents from making any attempt
on his life.
Buba, in a bench ruling, declined granting any of the
newly sought orders but ordered all the parties not to
take any action capable of undermining the
processes before the court.
The judge said he would have to adjourn further
hearing to allow the service of court papers on all the
parties.
He held, “The matter before the court is that of
committal and challenge to jurisdiction. I shall
adjourn for the hearing of the applications on its
merits.”
www.punchng.com/news/court-orders-ndlea-to-suspend-action-on-kashamus-extradition/

Kashamu will be like haa OLUWASEUN