NDLEA defies court order, remains in Kashamu’s home

The battle of wits between the
National Drug Law Enforcement
Agency and the embattled senator-
elect for Ogun-East senatorial
district, Mr. Buruji Kashamu,
continued on Tuesday with the
anti-narcotic agency defying an
order of a Lagos Federal High Court
barring it from arresting the
politician.
The court headed by Justice
Ibrahim Buba gave a ruling on
Tuesday afternoon ordering the
more than 50 operatives of the
NDLEA who had laid siege to the
Lekki Phase 1 home of the Peoples
Democratic Party chieftain since
Saturday to vacate the duplex
immediately.
Specifically, the judge described
the siege to the Ijebu politician’s
home as sub judice, stressing that it
did not follow due process.
Also, the court barred any move by
the NDLEA to arrest Kashamu, who
had been holed up in his bedroom
ever since, pending the ruling on a
fundamental right application he
filed before Justice Okon Abang of
the same court.
It will be recalled that Abang, on
May 8, fixed Wednesday, May 27,
2015, as the date to rule on the said
application filed by Kashamu
against the Inspector-General of
Police and 13 others.
Kashamu, through his lawyers, have
been seeking an order of the court
restraining the defendants from
giving effect to an alleged plot to
abduct and forcibly extradite him to
the United States of America to face
alleged drug trafficking charges.
Buba pronounced the action of the
NDLEA operatives as sub judice and
ordered the men of the Nigerian
Police Force to ensure that the
NDLEA operatives vacate Kashamu’s
premises “without a free for all.”
Buba held, “I am of the opinion that
the justice of this case at this point
demands that the men of the NDLEA
numbering up to 50 or more
stationed at the residence of the
applicant be ordered to vacate the
premises in view of the subsisting
order made by Abang J.
“The parties shall stay all actions
pending the determination of the
application before Abang J.
“The Nigeria Police Force is
directed or informed that there is
an alleged contempt proceedings
instituted by the applicant against
the respondents, and are to ensure
that orders of this court are obeyed,
as it is the duty of all authorities
and principalities and agents of
government to obey court order.
“There shall be no room for a free
for all.
“The defendants, who are alleged
contemnors, are directed by this
court not to do anything to
undermine the judicial process of
this court.”
The NDLEA had said it had received
a formal extradition request on
Kashamu from the government of
the US and was coming to court on
Monday to secure an extradition
order.
The anti-narcotics agency claimed
that the US government had
requested Kashamu to stand trial
on alleged drug-trafficking
offences.
However, the NDLEA, which from all
indications had yet to secure a
warrant of arrest on Kashamu,
failed to bring him to court on
Monday but continued to lay siege
to his house located on Oladipo
Omotosho Street.
But the NDLEA kicked against the
court order mandating it to
withdraw its officials from
Kashamu’s residence, insisting that
its action was within the confines of
the law.
Kashamu, a financier of the PDP in
Ogun State, is also the Chairman,
Organisation and Mobilisation
Committee of the ruling party in
the South-West. He was a staunch
supporter of the re-election bid of
President Goodluck Jonathan.
Shortly after the ruling, the NDLEA,
through its spokesperson, Mitchell
Ofoyeju, issued a statement
describing the court order as trivial
and an attempt to prevent it from
performing its statutory functions.
The agency maintained it had
received an order from the United
States government to extradite
Kashamu for drug related offences
and claimed to have served a
warrant of arrest on him.
The statement read, “NDLEA has
described as diversionary and
inconsequential reports of a court
order directing its men to vacate
the residence of senator-elect,
Buruji Kashamu, and requesting
both the Attorney General of the
Federation, Mr. Bello Adoke and
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of
the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, to appear
in court.
“The NDLEA does not believe that
any court will issue an order
preventing a government agency
from performing its statutory
responsibilities in a lawful manner.
The agency has, therefore, refused
to be distracted and will continue
to maintain presence at the
residence. It is advisable that
Kashamu respects the law by
submitting himself to the due
process of the law.
“We are prepared to explore all
legal means in handling this case to
a logical conclusion. The Nigerian
Government has received a formal
request from the United States
government for the extradition of
Prince Buriji Kashamu. It also has a
provisional warrant of arrest on him
contrary to claims by his attorneys.”
The statement stated further that
Kashamu had been a target of both
the US Drug Enforcement
Administration and the
Immigration and Customs
Enforcement of the Department of
Homeland Security for over 20
years.
It added that the politician, who
teamed up with President Jonathan
against former President Olusegun
Obasanjo during the battle for the
control of Ogun State had been
indicted by the Grand Jury in the
Northern District of Illinois, United
States on heroin trafficking charges