Group urges Jonathan to extradite Buruji Kasamu to US for trial

An Abuja based non-governmental organisation, the Society for Rule of Law in Nigeria, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to commence the process of extraditing controversial businessman and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Buruji Kasamu, to the United States of America to face trial in respect of an alleged drug-related offence.
The group hailed the Court of Appeal for standing firm on its decision to vacate an order of perpetual injunction given by Justice Okechukwu Okeke (rtd.) of the Federal High Court, restraining the Attorney-General of the Federation from entertaining or making any order whatsoever in respect of any request by the United States Government for extraditing Kasamu to the US to answer charges on the alleged drug-related offence.
SRLN said: “President Jonathan should further demonstrate his respect for the rule of law by giving effect to the Appeal Court judgment delivered by Justice Abdu Aboki yesterday.”
The SRLN stated in a statement on Thursday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Chima Ubeku, that President Jonathan should be worried that a fugitive like Kasamu is being accorded recognition by the PDP.
Ubeku said further in the statement: “With the judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal in Lagos yesterday, all impediments on Buruji Kasamu’s extradition to the US has been removed.
“The President should therefore do the needful by ordering his (Kasamu) extradition to the US as allegedly requested by the US government.
“Failure to do this will mean that Kasamu is being shielded from being tried in the US because he has been using proceeds of his alleged drug business to fund the PDP and this will be a great minus to the party and the federal government.
“This is moreso that all the newspapers that reported the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division judgment of yesterday used headlines like; ‘Court Dismisses PDP Chieftains Application Against Extradition,’ and this happened because even the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP recently acceded to Buruji Kasamu’s request to single-handedly fund the South-West Zonal Congress.
“It has therefore become a moral burden on the president as well as his party, and it is high time the presidency makes its position known on the matter.”