The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its action follows a formal request for extradition received from the Embassy of the United States of America pending the arraignment of Senator-elect, Mr. Buruju Kashamu before the Federal High Court on Monday, May 25th, 2015.
Officials of the NDLEA on Saturday, May 23rd, 2015 has placed Mr. Kashamu, a senator-elect from Ogun State under house arrest in Lagos.
In a statement by the Head, Public Affairs of the NDLEA, Ofoyeju Mitchell, the agency explained that Mr. Kashamu has been a target of both the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for over 20 years and was indicted in the Northern District of Illinois, United States on charges brought against him by ICE.
The Senator-elect, who U.S. court documents allege was known in his days as the leader of a prolific heroin trafficking ring based in Chicago, Illinois as “God,” “Daddy,” and “Kasmal,” is wanted to stand trial on charges of conspiracy and importation of controlled substances, namely heroin, into the United States dating back to 1994.
The politican, who holds dual Nigerian/Beninese citizenship, has taken multiple preemptive actions to thwart U.S. extradition efforts such as making claims that his is a case of mistaken identity, and that his deceased brother is responsible for the crimes he is being sought after in the U.S.
Mr. Kashamu has filed injunctions in federal court both in the Northern District of Illinois, United States and in Nigeria to prevent his arrest and prosecution.
At the time of his arrest, NDLEA officers allowed Mr. Kashamu’s legal attorneys – Daniel Onamusi and Barrister Oloyede – and close family members including his wife and adult daughters to speak with him and attest to his well-being.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA has given the assurance that Mr. Kashamu will be afforded all the protection of the law and will be given his day in court.
The drug law enforcement agency also dismissed assertions that he would be bundled under cover of darkness and whisked out of the country.
It would be recalled that Buruji Kashamu, the Nigerian senator-elect wanted by United States authorities for alleged drug offences, has accused a leader of his political party, Bode George, of instigating a raid on his residence in Lagos in an attempt to extradite him to the U.S.
Nearly two dozen operative of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, stormed Mr. Kashamu’s home Saturday. It was unclear if they sought to arrest Mr. Kashamu.
A U.S federal grand jury, in 1998, charged Mr. Kashamu and 14 others for their alleged involvement in an international conspiracy to smuggle heroin into America.
He denies any wrongdoing and says the American government is mistaking him for another person.
Mr. Kashamu has instituted a lawsuit to block any move by the Nigerian government to release him to face trial in the U.S.
In a statement Saturday, the PDP leader said he had confirmed that the Nigerian government, through the Attorney General of the Federation, did not authorise the raid on his home.
He said his political rival, Mr. George, instigated his wife, who heads the anti-narcotic agency, to invade his home as part of a plot to extradite him.
The statement, signed by Mr. Kashamu’s media, Austin Oniyokor, said “this latest onslaught is a confirmation of the alleged plot to illegally abduct him in spite of the pending suit against this illegality”.
“The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA) this morning (Saturday,23rd May, 2015) at about 4:30am surrounded the Lekki Phase 1, Lagos residence of Prince Buruji Kashamu to allegedly effect his arrest following a purported extradition request from the US.
“This latest onslaught is a confirmation of the alleged plot to illegally abduct him in spite of the pending suit against this illegality. As a matter of fact, the court has ordered parties in the matter including the NDLEA to maintain status quo until judgment is delivered on Wednesday 27th May 2015.
“We have confirmed that they do not have a warrant of arrest, just as the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice has said that it did not give any order to carry out this illegality,” the statement said.
Mr. Kashamu said he had “confirmed that this illegality is being designed and executed by Chief Bode George whose wife is the Director General of the NDLEA, all in a bid to score cheap political points.”
Mr. Kashamu urged “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 processes, Kashamu cried out”.
‘Nigeria is not a Banana republic! The United States (US) being the bastion of democracy, the rule of law and due process should not lend itself to this kind of illegality,” he said.