Kashamu’s Suit Is Not About Extradition But To Protect His Rights

SAN FRANCISCO, August 31, (THEWILL) – Austin Oniyokor, Media Adviser to Buruji Kashamu, Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has declared that the suit filed by the Senator had nothing to do with extradition.

Onyiyokor, in a press statement, made the clarification in response to reports that Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, failed to grant the Senator an injunction restraining the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Inspector-General of Police from extraditing him to the U.S to face drug-related charges.

“Our attention has been drawn to a report in a section of the media that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja refused an application by Prince Buruji Kashamu, Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, seeking an order to restrain the Department of State Security and the Inspector-General of Police from extraditing him to the U.S to face charges,” the statement read.

“We wish to state that the case has nothing to do with extradition. The only extradition case that was in Suit No FHC/ABJ/CS/479/2015 has been dismissed by the Federal High Court, Abuja, on the 1st of July, 2015.

“This extant suit relates to a frivolous petition written against Senator Kashamu by a member of the House of Representatives from Ogun State, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, in which he made all manner of unfounded allegations and requested the security agencies to take certain steps that could inhibit the fundamental human rights of the senator.

“It was in a bid to forestall an infringement on his rights to freedom of movement and association that Senator Kashamu filed the Fundamental Human Rights Enforcement suit in court.

“When the matter came up on Tuesday, the court granted Senator Kashamu's application to be heard during vacation and to serve the processes on one of the defendants outside jurisdiction.

“While the court refrained from making any preservatory order as canvassed by, the senator's counsel, Mr. Godswill Mrakpor, it urged parties to observe the principle of _lis pendens_ which enjoins parties not to take any steps in respect of a pending action in court.

“That could not in any way be rightly interpreted to mean refusal of an application to stop anyone's extradition because there is no such application in the first place.”

Story by David Oputah