US behind Kashamu’s house arrest—FG

The Attorney-General of the
Federation and Minister of Justice,
Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN), said
on Saturday that the house arrest
which the National Drugs Law
Enforcement Agency placed on the
Ogun-East Senator-elect, Buruji
Kashamu, was informed by a recent
extradition request by the United
States of America.
Adoke told one of our
correspondents on the telephone
on Saturday that the request came
last week.
On May 6, the minister had
disclosed to one of our
correspondents that there was no
extradition request for Buruji by
the US.
Adoke said this while responding to
a suit filed by Kashamu to restrain
the NDLEA and 13 others from
extraditing him to the US.
“The request came shortly after I
spoke with you. It came last week,”
he said.
He said immediately his office
received the request it was passed
to the appropriate organ of
government for implementation.
The implementation process
involves filing an extradition
request before the appropriate
division of the Federal High Court.
Responding to further inquiry, he
confirmed that he was referring to
the NDLEA as the appropriate organ
of government to take up the
extradition request.
“Of course, it is a drug-related
offence and the appropriate
government agency that handles
such cases is the NDLEA,” Adoke
said.
The NDLEA confirmed the
confinement of the movement of
Kashamu to his Lagos residence on
Oladipo Street, Lekki Phase 1
pending his appearance in court on
Monday (tomorrow).
The spokesperson for the NDLEA,
Michael Ofoyeju, said the action
was to perfect his extradition to the
US for drug-related charges.
In a statement sent via email to
one of our correspondents by the
spokesperson for the agency,
Michael Ofoyeju, the Chairman/
Chief Executive of the NDLEA,
Ahmadu Giade, was quoted as
saying the operation was in line
with the legal process of
extradition.
The statement further quoted
Giade thus, “The agency has
commenced extradition
procedures against Senator-elect,
Buruji Kashamu in line with the
laws of country. He has been in
contact with his attorneys and will
appear in court on Monday.”
He also confirmed that the
residence of Kashamu was raided
by the operatives of the agency at
about 5am on Saturday.
No fewer than 10 operatives of the
agency were said to have invaded
the Lagos residence of Kashamu,
around 5am on Saturday to effect
his arrest following a purported
extradition request from the United
States on drug- related charges.
They were said to be heavily armed
and were ruthless.
As soon as they stormed his
residence, SUNDAY PUNCH gathered
that some of the NDLEA operatives
brought out a yellow tape and
cordoned off the area, while others
went straight to the gate.
After they (operatives) reportedly
knocked on Kashamu’s gate, his
security men were alerted about
their mission.
Kashamu’s security men at this
point demanded the arrest warrant
from the NDLEA men but they could
not produce any.
Based on this, they were prevented
from entering the residence.
However, this action was said to
have infuriated the NDLEA officials
who stormed the compound after
destroying the gate.
The media aide to Kashamu, Austin
Oniyokor, in a statement made
available to our correspondent on
Saturday, explained that the NDLEA
operatives after they had forcibly
entered the compound, headed for
the living rooms and began to
destroy all the doors one after
other, in a desperate move to
arrest Kashamu.
An NDLEA source said they
(operatives) closed in on the
bedroom of the PDP chief who was
said to have threatened to commit
suicide if the agency tried to
extradite him to the US forcibly.
Oniyokor described the latest
onslaught on his principal as a
confirmation of the alleged plot to
illegally abduct him despite the
pending suit against his abduction.
Oniyokor, however, accused a
Peoples Democratic Party leader,
Chief Bode George, as being behind
the onslaught against his boss, “in a
bid to score cheap political points.”
He said he is doing this through his
wife who is the Director-General of
the agency.
“We urge all well meaning
Nigerians to prevail on NDLEA, Chief
George and his wife to toe the path
of the rule of law and follow due
process.
“Nigeria is not a Banana republic.
The United States being the bastion
of democracy, the rule of law and
due process, should not lend itself
to this kind of illegality.”
However, George, who spoke to
one of our correspondents from the
United Kingdom On Saturday,
described the allegation as a ‘huge
joke.’
The PDP leader said he did not
have the power to give his wife
orders because she was not the
chairman of the NDLEA and the
agency adheres to due process.
He said no right thinking Nigerian
would believe that he was behind
Kashamu’s ordeal because his
name had never been mentioned
before now. He added that he had
never been involved in Ogun State
politics before and wondered how
Kashamu’s detention could benefit
him (George).
He said, “I don’t understand what
this is all about. How does
Kashamu’s arrest affect the price of
milk? My wife is not the chairman of
the NDLEA, so how can I give her
orders when she has a boss? Also,
that agency always follows due
process.
“I am happy that the NDLEA has
issued a statement to the effect
that Kashamu’s arrest has nothing
to do with me or politics. I do not
dabble into Ogun State politics.
“Kashamu is like a younger brother
to me and he is not known to speak
in such a manner. I am sure it is his
media adviser that concocted this
falsehood.”