The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has vowed to push for the arrest of Senator Buruji Kashamu.
The agency said it has been “emboldened and strengthened” by the latest ruling of a United States court, which ruled that the senator must face drug charges.
The US appeal court on Friday upheld the ruling against Kashamu, who is facing drug charges, related to the hit TV show, “Orange is the New Black.”
With the verdict, the Senator, representing Ogun East Senatorial District, could be extradited to face trial in the US court.
According to the Head, Public Affairs, NDLEA, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, the NDELA had a legal treaty with the US and would not compromise this agreement for any reason.
Ofoyeju said, “Already, there are actions ongoing to vacate those orders. So, it is now important for us to pursue those actions to a conclusion because we now have a better ground to vacate those orders. And these are injunctions that he got restraining us from picking him up.
“You know that this development is a good reason for us to vacate those orders that he is not to be arrested.”
He stated that based on the latest US court ruling, the agency’s position had been “emboldened and strengthened and we will push for the vacation of every injunction stopping us.”
Ofoyeju added, “When those (restraining) orders are cleared, then we can go ahead with the extradition case. There is no point filing another one. The case that was filed is still in court. It is just that there are orders preventing that case and these orders need to be cleared so that the coast will be clear.”
On claims that the NDLEA had given up on Kashamu, the agency’s spokesperson declared, “No way, that is not true! We have not given up, but we don’t want to violate court orders. We will seek legal means and this case has emboldened our case here in Nigeria.
“On the exceptionality of his case, he is a distinguished Senator and so our legal team will come up with the best legal option for him to clear himself because of the mutual legal agreement that we have with the US.
“The case is a very sensitive one because he is a serving Senator; but then, we have a mutual agreement with the US on things like this. It is an allegation, but let him go and clear himself.”
Ofoyeju said, “The court in the US has ruled and back home here, he has secured an injunction that he should not be arrested. So our legal team is currently studying the case, both the one in the US and the one in Nigeria. This is in order to know the next legal line of action, because he must clear himself. That is the position.”
“So, as it is now we are going to look at the best legal action to take in order for his right not to be violated because he is a distinguished senator of the federal republic. However, at the same time, all necessary measures will be exploited for him to clear himself of whatever allegations that have been brought against him in the US,” he told Punch.
Meanwhile, the senator has said that the allegations of drug trafficking against him was a case of mistaken identity.
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