A Nigerian Senator, Buruji Kashamu, (Ogun-PDP) has told the Federal High Court, Abuja, that the Inspector-General of Police (I-G) and the Director-General of State Security Service, SSS, plan to extradite him to the United States to face trial on drug related offences.
Mr. Kashamu, who brought an application before the court on Wednesday, prayed the court to stop both agencies from inviting or arresting him.
The senator told the court that the invitation to him in respect to a petition on an assassination attempt on the life of Oladipupo Keshington (PDP-Ogun), was a ploy to arrest him and transport him to the US.
Counsel to Mr. Kashamu, Raphael Oluyede, asked the court to protect his client and stop the Police and SSS from inviting or arresting him and forcefully transporting him abroad.
According to Mr. Oluyede, if the court fails to stop the plot, his client’s fundamental rights to liberty will be breached.
The lawyer further argued that the petition for which the police was inviting him, had been investigated and found to be baseless.
Opposing the application, counsel to the I-G, David Igbodo, said the issue of extradition raised by the senator was a figment of his imagination.
According to Mr. Igbodo, the police was inviting Mr. Kashamu to make a statement before a special investigative panel set up to look into the allegation of attempted assassination brought against him.
He prayed the court not to grant the application, but to rather, issue an order to compel the senator to appear before the police panel for interrogation in the alleged assassination attempt.
“There are two petitions addressed to the I-G on allegations of an assassination attempt in Port Harcourt, Rivers. The first one was written by Keshington upon which the senator was invited.
“Rather than honouring the Police invitation, the senator chose to write a counter petition on the same issue.
“At the moment, the I-G has two petitions and has set up a special panel to look into them and ascertain the genuineness of the allegation,” he said.
He added that Mr. Keshington had appeared before the police panel and made statements, while the senator opted for a court order to stop the Police.
“I humbly urge this court not to grant the prayers of the applicant as doing so, will send a danger signal and would prevent the Police from performing its functions.”
Counsel to Mr. Keshington, Ehi Uwaifo, also urged the court to dismiss the case of the senator and order him to appear before the panel to enable it discharge its responsibility.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, after listening to the arguments, adjourned the matter until July 6 for judgment.
(NAN)
