A serving senator, Buruji Kashamu has told Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of an Abuja Federal high court that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Director General of Department of State Service (DSS) were making moves to extradite him to the United States of America (USA), to face trial on drug related offences and urged the court to stop the DSS and Police from inviting or arresting him for anything.
The Senator representing Ogun east in the senate claim that the invitation extended to him in respect of a petition on an assassination attempt on the life of a House of Representatives member , Oladipupo Keshinton was a ploy to get at him and transport him to America at the instance of the American government to face charges on alleged hard drug offence.
Kashamu in an originating summon argued by his counsel, Raphael Oluyede urged Justice Nnamdi Dimgba to protect him from being forcefully ferried abroad by stopping the IGP , DG of DSS and their agents from inviting or arresting him.
He said that his fundamental right to liberty or freedom would be breached if Police and DSS are not refrain from curtailing his movement.
The senator further contended that the petition upon which police is seeking to invite him has been investigated and found baseless and unfounded , hence there is no need for the Police and DSS to seek to arrest him.
Buruji said that he rushed to the court to seek an order against his arrest because the police and the DSS are bent on arresting him.
However, in his vehement opposition to the claim by Buruji, the IGP said that the applicant was being invited to make statement before a special investigation panel set up to look into the allegation of assassination attempt against senator Kashamu.
The IGP through his counsel David Igbodo, said the issue of extradition raised by the senator was his imagination and not that of the Police and applied to the court to issue an order to compel the senator to appear before the police panel for interrogation in an assassination attempt.
The police counsel submitted that the senator rushed to court to prevent it from performing its statutory function and urged the court not to grant the application.
“There are two petitions addressed to the IG of police on allegation of assassination attempt in Port Harcourt, Rivers State the 1st one was written by House of Representatives member, Honorable Oladipupo Keshinton upon which the senator was invited, rather than honouring police invitation, the senator chooses to write a counter petition on the same issue.
“At the moment, the IG of Police has two petitions and had set up a Special Investigation Panel to look into them to ascertain the genuineness of the allegation.
“Interestetingly, the House of Representatives member who wrote the 1st petition has appeared before the police panel and made statements while the senator rather than honouring police invitation opted to come before this court to seek an order to stop police from doing their job.
“I humbly urge this Honorable court not to grant the prayers of the the applicant as doing so, will send a danger signal and would prevent police from performing its statutory function”, Igbodo submitted.
The House of Representatives member who is also a respondent in the case accused the senator of embarking on forum shopping to avoid appearing before a police panel to answer allegations on attempted assassination.
The lawmaker through his counsel Ehi Uwaifo urged the court to dismiss the case of the senator and to order him to appear before to enable them perform their statutory function.
The counter affidavit filed by the DSS against the case of Kashamu was also adopted.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba after taken arguments from parties to the matter fixed July 6, 2017 for the Judgment.
SEYI ANJORIN, Abuja
