The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday said it had formally served an extradition notice to the Senator-elect for Ogun East senatorial district, Prince Buruji Kashamu.
According to the NDLEA, it effected the service on Kashamu on Monday in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/479/2015 with a copy made available to the Chief Judge, Federal High Court.
The anti-narcotics agency and the senator-elect have been engaged in a legal battle over moves by the federal government to extradite Kashamu to the U.S to face drug trafficking charges.
In a swift response to the purported notice served on him, Kashamu, through his lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede, said he has not been served, “rather, a copy of the process was dropped in our office in Lagos yesterday. So, we shall deal with it in accordance with the law”.
He also stated that, “the NDLEA should be warned to stay away because they have no role to play in the current proceedings. And if we should discover that they have usurped the functions of the AGF, we shall certainly make an issue of it.
“We wish to state that the NDLEA has no role to play in extradition proceedings until a warrant of arrest has been issued by the court. It is the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice that initiates extradition proceedings after receiving a request by an order directed to the court and asking the court to take over the matter.
“It is the court that will decide whether a warrant of arrest is necessary.
“It is the court that will consider all the evidence provided by the United States to see whether it satisfies the onus of proof and that it establishes that the person sought is the person that actually participated in the offence alleged”, he stated
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