A Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday ordered 50 operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to immediately vacate the Lagos residence of the senator-elect for Ogun East Senatorial District, Buruji Kashamu.
The operatives have been at Kashamu’s Lekki Phase 1 residence in Lagos since Saturday morning.
NDLEA claims it received a formal extradition request on Kashamu from the government of the United States of America.
In his ruling, Justice Ibrahim Buba pronounced the action of the NDLEA as sub judice and ordered the men of the Nigerian police to ensure that NDLEA operatives vacate Kashamu’s premises “without a free for all.”
In a swift reaction, the NDLEA said it had not received the court order and described media reports of the judge’s decision as “diversionary and inconsequential”.
Mitchell Ofoyeju, the agency’s spokesperson said in a statement that, “The NDLEA does not believe that any court will issue an order preventing a government agency from performing its statutory responsibilities in a lawful manner.”,
“The agency has therefore refused to be distracted and will continue to maintain presence at the residence. It is advisable that Kashamu respects the law by submitting himself to the due process of the law.
“The NDLEA wishes to reiterate that his rights like that of other citizens shall be respected and the due process of law followed in this case.
“The agency is prepared to further increase her public rating and goodwill in the areas of suspect handling, respect for human rights and the rule of law. We are prepared to explore all legal means in handling this case to a logical conclusion.”
“According to official record, Kashamu has been a target of both the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for over 20 years and was further indicted by the Grand Jury in the Northern District of Illinois, United States on heroin trafficking charges,” Ofoyeju added.
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