Appeal court to fix date to determine Kashamu’s extradition to US

JUSTICE Joseph Ikhegh of the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal on Thursday reserved judgment in the appeal filed by the Federal Government seeking the extradition of the senator representing Ogun East, Buruji Kashamu, to the United States of America over allegations of drug deals.

Recall that Kashamu through his counsel had approached a lower court in 2015, and secured two separate judgments by Justices Okon Abang and Ibrahim Buba both of the Federal High Court restraining the Federal Government from extraditing the senator to the US.

The Attorney General of the Federation had approached the Court of Appeal seeking to overturn the judgments of Justices Abang and Buba, to pave the way for Kashamu’s extradition.

However at Thursday’s proceedings Counsel for the AGF, Emeka Ngige (SAN), told the appellate court that Kashamu concealed material facts before Justices Abang and Buba, where he obtained restraining orders against the Federal Government.

According to him, Kashamu’s suits, which were decided by Justices Abang and Buba, were based on mere hearsay, contending that the two lower court judges miscarried justice.

He claimed that Justices Abang and Buba failed to evaluate the documentary evidence placed before them before giving their verdicts.

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Ngige urged the three-man Appeal Court panel, to overturn the two judgments and order Kashamu’s extradition.

Kashamu’s lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), however, told the court that the decisions by the high court judges were in order.

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The court, after the parties had argued and adopted their written addresses, reserved judgment in the appeal till a further date.

Recall that the FG said it received a request by the US Government to extradite Kashamu to face prosecution for his alleged role in an illicit drug deal in the US.