A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed the extradition suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation against Senator Buruji Kashamu on the ground that the court lacks the jurisdiction to review the judgement of a competent court of concurrent jurisdiction.
Delivering a ruling on the suit seeking to commence an extradition process against Senator Kashamu to the US to face drug charges, Justice Gabriel Kolawole said the Attorney General, while disobeying the judgement of a Federal High Court in Lagos could not institute a similar action with the same subject matter in another court in Abuja.
Justice Kolawole added that the applicants failed to present any evidence before the court to show that the orders of Justices Abang and Buba delivered in Lagos had been appealed against or set aside to warrant the institution of a similar suit before another court of equal jurisdiction.
The Judge further added that the extradition suit was instituted in clear violation and flagrant disobedience of a valid court judgement.
Although the counsel to the Attorney General of the Federation declined speaking on camera, counsel to Senator Kashamu explained the import of the judgement.
The Federal Government had instituted two appeals before the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal against the orders of the Federal High Court barring security agencies in Nigeria from arresting and commencing extradition proceedings against Senator Buruji Kashamu.
Two judges of the Federal High Court, Justice Okon Abang and Justice Ibrahim Buba had in separate rulings nullified the provisional warrant of arrest obtained by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) against the Senator representing Ogun-East.
