Court validates judgment restraining extradition of Kashamu

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday validated the judgment of a court restraining any extradition process against Sen. Buruji Kashamu (Ogun East-PDP). Justice Ibrahim Buba gave the ruling in a contempt application filed by Kashamu against the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), and the Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Buruji Kashamu

Buba stressed that an order made by another judge of the court, Justice Okon Abang, subsists and must be complied with until set aside by a superior court.

Abang had nullified the provisional warrant of arrest secured by the NDLEA against Kashamu before a Federal High Court in Abuja. Abang had also declared that no extradition proceedings could commence against Kashamu until the judgment of the court was appealed against and set aside by the Court of Appeal.
However, Buba, while determining the merit of the contempt application, held that since Justice Abang had ruled on a similar case, the instant suit had merely become an academic exercise and unnecessary. The judge, however, warned the AGF and the NDLEA Chairman to be of good conduct and obey the subsisting order of court.
“There sh

ould be no overzealous conduct from either of the parties. Government agencies must abide by the rule of law to avoid anarchy. “They (AGF and NDLEA Chairman) should be of good behaviour until their appeal is determined. “No matter how aggrieved, they should abide by the order of court until there is a counter order from a superior court.

He also asked the court to declare that the invasion, destruction of properties, harassment, humiliation, arrest and detention of Kashamu by NDLEA and any extradition proceeding commenced thereupon undermined the integrity of court.