How Fugitive Senator, Buruji Kashamu, Bribed Nigerian Judges, Politicians to Quash His Extradition Case
… US Angry with Nigeria
Extensive investigations conducted by Pointblanknews.com have revealed a
widening bribery scandal involving Senator Buruji Kashamu, some Nigerian
judges, son of President Mohammadu Buhari and a cousin of the wife of the
President, Aisha Buhari, in a bribery scheme designed to quash the
extradition case of the senator to the United States.
The United States Justice Department officials are already furious over
roles played by Nigerian politicians aided by the judiciary and have
expressed dismay at the bungling of the case which depicted all the
trappings of rabid corruption on the part of Nigeria’s judiciary.
Sources at the U.S DOJ and the State Department confirmed to
Pointblanknews.com that while they would not want to comment on activities
bordering on investigations of a criminal act, the U.S Government is
particularly disappointed at turn of event with the Buruji's extradition
case.
According to a Justice Department official who does not want to be named
because he is not authorized to speak on the matter “We expected the
current Government to be different from the past but it is disappointing
that we seem to have been deceived.”
Mr. Kashamu and 14 others were, in 1998, charged by a federal grand jury
for their alleged involvement in an international conspiracy to smuggle
heroin into the United States, according to U.S court papers.
He fled to the U.K. where repeated efforts by the U.S. to extradite him
failed, before he returned to Nigeria and became a Senator.
The US government has, following the development, initiated moves to reach
out to the Buhari government over the matter.
According to a source, “We are not given up. We are making efforts to
discuss with the President of Nigeria.”
Muhammad Abdallah, the NDLEA Chairman, had told a Nigeria based online
medium in an interview recently that the agency is under the control of
the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice office.
“We are an agency under the Attorney-General, once the Attorney General is
involved in a matter we are, we must necessarily step aside for him.
“There are no two governments in Nigeria. The NDLEA is not an independent
organisation, it's an organisation under the Attorney General. The
Attorney General is handling that, so we have nothing to say.”
But sources told pointblanknews.com that on the orders of the AGF, the
National Security Adviser to the President and some very powerful APC
chieftains, the NDLEA was directed to ands off the case against Buruji.
A frustrated NDLEA official told pointblanknews.com on condition of
anonymity that officials of the agency were shocked to note that the
orders came from officials of the Presidency who were supposed to be
championing the fight against corruption.
“we were very shocked. All our efforts to honor the request of the United
States have been frustrated. The extradition request is now politics.”
Sources told Pointblanknews.com that while Mr. Buruji was playing
hanky-panky with NDLEA officials, he had received assurances from some
politicians that upon parting with some money, he can be free, according
to an insider familiar with the deal.
Senator Kashamu allegedly doled out $1 million to Judges handling the case
to quash his extradition proceeding over drug crimes committed in Chicago
which prompted the United States to declare him wanted.
Impeccable sources told Pointblanknews.com that some APC chieftains
introduced Senator Kashamu to Yusuf Buhari, the son of President Buhari
and the brother of the First Lady called Alhaji Yola. The duo then took
the desperate Buruji to some friends of the President who then took the
matter to the President’s top aides.
The two top aides of the President turned out to be the chief of Staff,
Abba Kyari and the National Security Adviser, NSA, Mohammed Babagana
Monguno. Both men were alleged to have agreed that the embattled PDP
Senator settle some Judges for the extradition case to be killed.
Acting on the advice of the top Buhari aides, Buruji was alleged to have
approached a Judge who took him to the Judge handling his case at a Lagos
Court whom he allegedly gave $1million, according to a source familiar
with the case who does not want to be named.
The source added that buruji further doled out another $1million to the
Chief of Staff and the NSA and another undisclosed amount to the son of
the President and the first lady’s cousin.
Both young men have been the toast of politicians seeking favours from the
Presidency. The duo has been seen in Senator Kashamu’s house on several
occasions.
The hitherto unknown son of the President has been besieged by politicians
who see him as his father's confidant and pressure him to collect money
for favours.
Following moves by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to
effect the arrest of Senator kashamu immediately after his election, the
senator approached a Lagos High Court seeking to prevent the agency from
arresting him.
With two court orders, the NDLEA which had refused to vacate his Lagos
residence eventually left Kashamu following pressure on the agency to
respect the rule of law.
Nigeria has an extradition treaty with the United States on drug and other
related crimes.
It would be recalled that in the decision of the US District Court, in May
2013, Judge Charles Norgle had held that Mr. Kashamu had done everything
within his power, including document forgery as well as political
pressure, to frustrate his trial in the U.S.
A previous request to extradite Kashamu from Britain failed in 2003.
Kashamu spent five years in a British jail before he was freed over
uncertainty about his identity. He was carrying $230,000 when he was
arrested there.
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