Extradition battle: UK Court cleared Kashamu - Police IG

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, has said that investigation by the Nigeria Police Force showed that Prince Buruji Kashamu was indeed tried in the UK criminal court but that the court was not satisfied that Kashamu had a case to answer.

The IGP, who was reacting to a newspaper report to this effect on Thursday in a statement by the Force Spokesman, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said: 'The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to a publication on page 4 of the Leadership Newspaper of June 18, 2015, concerning the extradition battles of Prince Buruji Kashamu with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).'

The statement released in Abuja, Thursday further stated that, 'For the records, the chambers of TRLP Law, acting on behalf of Prince Buruji Kashamu, had on  April 14, 2015, written the Nigeria Police Force concerning the status of Prince Kashamu's legal battles in the United Kingdom and United States, following which the Nigeria Police sought relevant clarifications from the British High Commission.

'The authority of the British High Commission confirmed on  April 27, 2015, through a letter to the Inspector-General of Police, that Prince Buruji Kashamu was indeed arrested and tried in the United Kingdom criminal court, but that the court was not satisfied that Prince Kashamu had a case to answer.

'However, for the avoidance of doubt, the British High Commission letter in question did not derogate from the extradition request by the US authority pending with relevant departments and agencies of government in Nigeria.'