Kashamu: ‎We’ll comply with rule of law as ordered by Senate – AGF, NDLEA

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and the authorities of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have agreed with the Senate on the need to respect the rule of law in handling Senator Buruji Kashamu’s alleged drug peddling offence in the United States of America.
The Senate had penultimate week, following a petition forwarded to it by Kashamu’s lawyer, Barrister Ajibola Oluyede, on alleged plan to abduct the embattled senator by NDLEA operatives for onward extradition to America to face prosecution, urged both the NDLEA and the office of the AGF and Minister of Justice to drop the alleged plan and follow the rule of law.
The Senate specifically directed the two government establishments to stay any further action on Kashamu’s alleged drug charges in America, pending thorough investigation of issues raised in Kashamu’s petition against them.
Addressing  journalists at the weekend, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, said the parties have resolved to halt further action on the matter pending the determination of the suit on the matter before the court.
Anyanwu said: “The Senate, AGF, NDLEA have unanimously agreed to stop further harassment, intimidation, abduction and extradition of Kashamu until the conclusion of the matter at the law court.
“We also agreed that the rules of law and due process must be followed in the case.”
Kashamu’s lawyer had in his submission before the committee penultimate week alleged that based on information from whistle blowers within the NDLEA, plans had reached advanced stage of abducting or kidnapping the senator to the US on phantom charges of drug trafficking.
According to him, the plan, coded “rendition plot”, is always used by the American government against fugitives or terrorists, none of which he said Kashamu can be said to be.
He explained further that the person behind the plot is the immediate past Chairman of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, who, according to him, having failed in achieving such illegal action against Kashamu as NDLEA boss through court pronouncements, now wants to achieve it as Special Assistant on Narcotics to Malami.
Kashamu’s lawyer wrote: “We have it on good authority that the former Chairman of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, who is now a special assistant on narcotics to the Attorney General of the Federation, is hell bent in achieving what he failed to illegally achieve against our client, Buruji Kashamu.
“Specifically, whistle blowers within the agency, had informed us that abduction plan against our client is being perfected, the reason why we are here before you to call the agency to order, since competent court of jurisdiction had ruled against such harassment and plots in May last year.
“The NDLEA under Giade on the 23rd of May last year invaded the Lagos residence of Senator Buruji Kashamu on the same phantom allegation but asked to vacate the place by the Federal High Court in Lagos on the 27th of the same month, with ruling that “Nigeria had no business operating with foreign government against Kashamu on matters that had been adjudicated upon years back in favour of the senator.”
Although the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, described the said whistle blowers within the NDLEA as internal conspirators, he said it was wrong for the agency to be carrying out any of its operations without regard for the rule of law since such alleged plots had been ruled against in the court of law.
Na’Allah added that based on facts on ground, the Senate reasons along with the petitioner by frowning against a situation where a public servant will refuse to obey the pronouncement of court and that in view of the legal status between Kashamu and the Federal Government, any purported plot against him by the agency should be discarded for now.