PRESS RELEASE
Officials
of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on May 23rd,
2015 placed Senator-elect Buruji Kashamu from Ogun State under house arrest. This
is sequel to a formal request for extradition received from the Embassy of the United
States of America pending his arraignment before the Federal High Court on
Monday, May 25th, 2015.
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 indicted in the Northern District of
Illinois, United States on charges brought against him by ICE.
KASHAMU,
who U.S. court documents allege was known in his days as the leader of a prolific
heroin trafficking ring based in Chicago, Illinois as “God,” “Daddy,” and
“Kasmal,” is wanted to stand trial on charges of conspiracy and importation of
controlled substances, namely heroin, into the United States dating back to
1994. Kashamu, who holds dual
Nigerian/Beninese citizenship, has taken multiple preemptive actions to thwart
U.S. extradition efforts such as making fanciful claims that his is a case of
mistaken identity, and that his deceased brother is responsible for the crimes
he is being sought after in the United States.
Kashamu has filed injunctions in federal court both in the Northern
District of Illinois, United States and in Nigeria to prevent his arrest and
prosecution.
At
the time of his arrest, NDLEA officers allowed Kashamu’s legal attorneys –
Daniel Onamusi and Barrister Oloyede – and close family members including his
wife and adult daughters to speak with him and attest to his well-being. The
NDLEA has assured Kashamu that he will be afforded all the protections of the
law and will be given his day in court. Assertions that he will be bundled up
under cover of darkness and whisked out of the country are untrue and should
not be given any credence. We expect
Kashamu as a senator-elect to demonstrate confidence in the Nigerian judicial
system and not insinuate otherwise.
Ofoyeju
Mitchell
Head,
Public Affairs
08034088136
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