South- West Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Youth Leaders have decried what they described as witch– hunting of Senator Buruji Kashamu by some political detractors who want him extradited to the United States over alleged drug related offences without following international set practices for filing such case, calling on the Federal Government to discourage its agencies from collaborating with the mischief makers.
This was just as they recalled that previous investigations by different agencies of government and court pronouncements within and outside Nigeria since 2003 had exonerated Kashamu of all allegations against him.
The youth leaders made the call on Wednesday in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos, even as they also urged the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to rise up and take time to advice government where possible on the need for those calling for Buruji’s extradition to follow due process rather than engage in junk journalism that could damage Nigeria’s international standing.
“If any of this faceless political bigots and their cohorts within the system feel very strongly about extraditing Senator Kashamu they should understand that there are international set practices and standards for filing such; except those standards are met, government should discourage its agencies from collaborating with this mischief makers.
“The government through the right organs of communication should stop the media from engaging in Junk journalism so that it doesn’t Jeopardize or injure the highly esteemed integrity of the Nigerian State and its journalism internationally.
“The Nigerian Bar Association should please rise up to the occasion and take time to advice government where possible,” the PDP youth leaders demanded.
The leaders, including Yinka Sotade (Lagos), Bamidele Seyi (Osun) Segun Aboko (Ekiti) Hon. Femi Alao (Ogun) Obafemi Olajide (Ondo) Hon. Idowu Taiwo (Oyo), while acknowledging that the obvious reasons for the several unfounded allegations and propaganda raised against Kashamu were based on race for the 2019 elections more so because of the innumerable philanthropic strides for which the legislator was known, further urged all social political groups, students unions and youth groups to rise up to this injustice as “an injury to one is an injury to all.”
The PDP youth leaders said it was noteworthy to state that Senator Kashamu had become the only succor of youths, the helpless and the low-life families in South Western Nigeria, contending that this without any doubt had made a lot of downtrodden understand that there was a possibility of achieving good leadership again.
“The truth is that this explemplary legislator has heightened the expectation of followers from their leaders thereby running the current generation of greedy leaders out of relevance and possible Extinction.
“We wish to call on the Federal Government as a matter of urgency and safeguard of our national integrity/image to look into the sinister agenda of this faceless politicians who have used the media of this nation to raise a false alarm; with particular mention of the negative dimension and adverse ramifications such false alarm could deal on the foreign image of our dear fatherland, not leaving out the capacity of such untamed news to discourage international investors whose investment capacity could help our local economic growth and development.
“We wish to make specific mention of the repeated nullification and dismissal of the allegation against Senator Kashamu by several courts of competent Jurisdiction both in the UK and Nigeria: This runs amidst some worrisome political attempts to use the NDLEA National Drug law Enforcement Agency,” the PDP faithful said.
“The current hullaballoo about Sen. Buruji Kashamu is a lie, unfair and lacks any essence or merit.
Nigeria is a sovereign state and can’t be boxed to a corner by any American court at the expense of our local legal system,” they declared.
and then