A Peoples Democratic Party stalwart in Ogun State, Buruji Kashamu on Tuesday said the United States Government could not demand his extradition because he had not committed any offence against it.
Kashamu also described as "misleading" the report that the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal had vacated a perpetual injunction restraining the Attorney-General of the Federation from making any order under Section 6 (2) of the Extradition Act for his arrest, committal or surrender at the instance of the US government.
Kashamu, in a statement by his Media Adviser, Mr. Austin Oniyokor, said, "The case referred to in the report was a case of mistaken identity in a drug-related offence which happened over 19 years ago and for which he had been discharged and acquitted by the British courts.
"Following his activities in the political terrain, he got information that his opponents were pressuring the Attorney-General of the Federation to re-open the case and use his office to cause his extradition. He then went to the Federal High Court, where he filed a suit to challenge a move in view of the fact that the British courts had exonerated him.
"Based on the infallible evidence before it, the Federal High Court held that the AGF could not exercise his powers under the Extradition Act to activate extradition proceedings against Kashamu in circumstances where an English High Court and a District Judge had found that the US authorities had suppressed evidence that exculpated Kashamu from commission of any offence and that Kashamu was not the person involved in the alleged offence.
"The appeal of the Attorney-General to the Court of Appeal and the judgment of that Court as reported in the newspaper did not derogate from these findings as the only issue it appears they were concerned with was how Kashamu knew that the Attorney-General was being pressurised to commence extradition proceedings against him."
The Punch