Appeal court to begin hearing on Kashamu extradition suit December 15

The Court of Appeal will on December 15, begin hearing in the appeal filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (OAGF) to extradite Senator Buruji Kashamu.

A three-man panel of the court constituted by its President, Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa, is expected to determine the fate of the serving senator in a bid by the Federal Government to deport him.

Kashamu’s extradition bid to the United States of America is in connection with alleged drug-related offences.

The office of the AGF had filed the appeal on behalf of the Federal Government against the Judgments of Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos and another by Justice Okon Abang in Abuja.

The courts had put the planned extradition on hold through a restraining order on the ground that due process of law was not followed in the process.

In the appeal, the AGF is praying the appellate court to set aside the judgment of the two judges on the ground of miscarriage of justice.

He is contending that Kashamu suppressed the facts before the lower court to secure the restraining order against his extradition.

The AGF also averred that the two judges erred in law by issuing order in favour of the senator without evaluating the documentary evidence placed before them during the hearing, and prayed the appellate court to void and set aside the two judgments.

Emeka Ngige (SAN) would lead the Federal Government legal team alongside other senior lawyers from the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Kashamu’s defence counsels are Akin Olujimi (SAN), Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) and Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN).

The American government had approached its Nigerian counterpart to extradite Kashamu, but the senator argued that no court order was obtained before the move to extradite him was executed.

In the ruling by Justices Buba and Abang, they put the extradition on hold pending the time the government would follow the due process of law.