Buruji Kashamu’s Worries Compounded

Buruji Kashamu’s Worries Compounded

It is no exaggeration that burly politician and businessman, Senator Buruji Kashamu, literally eats and breathes controversies.
He has been enmeshed in so many controversies since he joined politics most times for the wrong reasons.

Many will recall how he fought and created a faction in the Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Due to his extravagant lifestyle, the controversial socialite, who represented Ogun East Senatorial District at the National Assembly between 2015 and 2019, has been embroiled in various crises with the Federal Government and some of its agencies since 2014 in the bid to frustrate any efforts to extradite him to the United States over alleged drug offences.

He has challenged the extradition moves. Kashamu had secured two orders from a Federal High Court between 2014 and 2017 restraining Federal Government, through its agencies, from carrying out the extradition of the socialite to the United States.
However, the Court of Appeal had on May 4, 2018, cleared the coast for the federal government to extradite Kashamu who had engaged the government in a long-drawn legal battle since 2014.

The appellate court in the two separate judgments voided and set aside all orders made by the Federal High Court restraining the government from proceeding with the extradition.
The appeal court said that an affidavit deposed to by Kashamu on the issue was worthless and not in compliance with Evidence Act because the former senator himself claimed that he was told by several persons who were not called to testify in court.
Consequently, the order of injunction stopping the extradition process was voided and set aside.

Justice Joseph Ikyeghi had agreed with counsel to the Federal Government, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, that a statutory body like the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) could not be prohibited from performing its statutory functions on hearsays and speculations as in the instant case.
But the Supreme Court is set to review the two judgments delivered in favour of the Federal Government by the Lagos division of the Court of Appeal on May 4, 2018.

Kashamu had in his notices of appeal to the Supreme Court complained that the Court of Appeal erred in law by voiding and setting aside the two judgments of the Federal High court which barred the Federal Government from extraditing him to America.

The ex-senator is praying the apex court to set aside the decisions of the Court of Appeal as they affected him. But the Federal Government through the Attorney General of the Federation has responded with a counter prayer that the Supreme Court should uphold the judgments of the Court of Appeal which cleared the coast for his extradition.

Society Watch gathered that if the Apex Court successfully vacates all legal encumbrances and Kashamu is sent to the United States and found guilty, it will be a spectacular fall for a man whose lifestyle brand has gained iniquitous recognition.
While still battling with the Federal Government alongside that of his political and business rivals, a Civil Society Organisation named ‘Centre Against Injustice And Domestic Violence’ is set to compound Kashamu’s woes.

The group has petitioned the Attorney General of the Federation, seeking prosecution of Kashamu over the various versions of the video in circulation on the social media where Kashamu was caught spraying bundles of naira notes on a popular musician at a public function.
The group led by Comrade Gbenga Soloki was riled by the alleged display of vulgar opulence by Kashamu and call on the security operatives to arrest him and prosecute the Ogun State-born politician.

Related Articles