Court refuses to stop Buruji Kashamu’s arrest, extradition

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, refused to restrain the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Department of State Services (DSS) from arresting and extraditing Senator Buruji Kashamu to the United States to face criminal charges.

Kashamu alleged in a document filed in court that his liberty was under threat “based on false defamatory content of a politically-motivated petition authored by Honourable Oladipupo Adebutu.”

The senator had consequently approached the court, seeking to be granted perpetual injunction restraining the two law enforcement agencies from arresting and transporting him to the United States.

But in his ruling, the vacation judge, Okon Abang, held that the reliefs sought by the applicant were incompetent.

“It is my view that the court should give opportunity to the two respondents to show cause why they should not be restrained,” Abang held.

He ordered that the respondents – the IGP, DSS and Honourable Oladipupo Adebutu – should be served with the motion.

Abang had earlier granted leave that the matter be heard during vacation. He stated that based on the materials before the court, the matter was urgent and deserving to be heard during the vacation.

Kashamu’s lawyer, Godwill Mako, had argued that his client’s liberty would suffer if he extradited.

According to him, the reason for the planned “illegal action was based on falsehood authored by Honourable Adebutu, a member of House of Representatives from Ogun State.”

He, therefore, urged the court to hear Kashamu and “save him from the plot by Adebutu and his co-conspirators, who maliciously cooked up charges to serve his ulterior political ambition.”

He also claimed that his arrest would be in breach of orders contained in suit No FHC/ L/cs/49/2010 and suit no FHC/L/cs/508/2015, which were in his favour.

Further hearing has been adjourned till September 8, 2016.