Senate to NDLEA: Stop harassing Kashamu‎

The Senate on Wednesday ordered the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to stop further harassment of Senator Buruji Kashamu over alleged drug related offences committed in the United States of America.
The Senate’s decision was sequel to a petition forwarded to its committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions by Kashamu’s lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede, over a planned abduction of the embattled senator by the NDLEA.
The Committee’s Chairman, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, told the NDLEA officials present to maintain status quo pending the completion of thorough investigation into the allegation.
Kashamu’s lawyer had in his petition before the Committee alleged that based on information from whistle blowers within the agency, plan had reached advanced stage for the abduction or kidnapping the senator to United States of America on phantom charges of drug trafficking.
According to Oluyede, the plan, codenamed: “Rendition plot,” is always used by the American government against fugitives or terrorists.
He said Kashamu cannot be said to fit into any of the descriptions.
The lawyer accused the former Chairman of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, being behind the plot to abduct Kashamu, having failed in achieving the action while he was in the agency.‎
In his words: “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 was 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 committee, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, described the said whistle blowers within the NDLEA as internal conspirators, but he said it was wrong for the agency to be carrying out any of its operations without regard to the rule of law, since such alleged plots had been ruled against in the court of law.
Na’Allah added that based on the 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 a 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.