The United States of America may have deliberately collaborated with Nigeria and the in-coming government in the fight against corruption in order to ensure certain individuals wanted in the US are finally extradited to face trials.
Facts have emerged on why the US has thrown her weight behind the anti-corruption stance of the President- elect, General Muhammadu Buhari.
National Mirror exclusively gathered that the US was backing Buhari in his anti corruption campaign in order to extradite prominent Nigerian politicians who have been on the wanted lists of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, for sundry offences.
These politicians, according to sources, are top ranking members of both the outgoing political party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, allegedly protected by the federal might of President Goodluck Jonathan and the incoming All Progressives Congress, APC.
National Mirror gathered from reliable sources who had been investigating cases involving these prominent Nigerians that the US, had running battles with the outgoing PDP-led Federal Government over prominent members of the party, who allegedly have cases to answer over alleged involvement in financial crimes.
We learnt that many high ranking members of the APC are also on the wanted lists of the FBI and the best way to get them to face trials for their crimes was to offer full support to Presidentelect Buhari, for the US to get these individuals to face trial for their crimes.
General Buhari had used his strong anti-corruption stance as one of the fulcrums during the electioneering campaigns for the 2015 presidential election; a stance many believed gave him an upper hand in the run up to the election
When contacted, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, in his reaction said that if the US is collaborating with the incoming government, it will be to the benefit of the masses, although he said the US never gave such support to the outgoing President and administration.
His words: “The truth is that I’m not aware of this development. At the party level, we don’t know, but we will be happy, if the US is collaborating with the incoming government bilaterally.
“Although the US never gave President Jonathan such support and collaboration; if that happens, we will appreciate it.
“They will be supporting Nigerians and the people will be the greater beneficiaries of such bilateral arrangement.”
Asked about his reaction to some members of the PDP allegedly on the wanted list of the US, but protected by the outgoing PDP-led government, Metuh said that every suspect is assumed innocent until proved guilty, adding that if in the course of investigation, anyone is found culpable of any criminal act, such person, irrespective of his position or party, should be made to face the law.
Efforts by National Mirror to get a reaction from APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed proved abortive as his telephone line was not going. Message sent to his e-mail address was not replied as at the time of filing this report.
Political analysts agree that it would be a good development if corrupt politicians, whether in PDP or APC are brought to book to serve as deterrent to others.
They also believed that it will be a litmus test for the incoming President Buhari, especially if high ranking members of his party, who played major role in his emergence as presidential candidate and Presidentelect, are among those to be so extradited for appropriate punishment for their past crimes against the nation.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the PDP in the South West and Senator-elect for Ogun East Senatorial District, Buruji Kashamu has raised the alarm that former President Olusegun Obasanjo is plotting with the US security agencies to have him extradited to answer charges on drug related indictment.
Kashamu is contending that Obasanjo was making the alleged stealthy move to get back at him over the comprehensive political defeat he (Obasanjo) suffered because of him (Kashamu) in the PDP.
In a petition he forwarded to National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Kashamu is asking the commission to probe the alleged move to abduct and forcibly take him to the US to answer charges on drug related offences.
The petition, dated April 15th, 2015 was written on his behalf by his lawyer, Mr. Abiola Oluyede and titled: “Prince Buruji Kashamu: Abduction Plans By United States of America Agents in Collaboration with Law Enforcement Agencies in Nigeria.”
The petition, which was addressed to the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Professor Bem Angwe reads: “Kashamu has instructed that we bring certain important facts and records to your attention with regard to the illegality of this plan and the malicious and unpatriotic motives of those behind it and seek your urgent intervention in accordance with the jurisdiction expressly given to your commission by the National Human Rights Act 1995 as amended to carry out and inquiry into the matter in order to establish the culpability and compromise of certain institution in this despicable plan and to protect our client’s fundamental human right to liberty, life and dignity of the person.”
Kashamu said despite several decisions both in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, which exonerated him from the alleged offences, desperate politicians had been putting pressure on the Attorney General of the Federation to resuscitate the US indictment against him in Nigeria and to instigate an extradition process.
According to him, the current plan to abduct him is an admission by the US authorities that there is no case against him and is a design instigated and commissioned by Obasanjo who seeks revenge against him for political reasons.
He, however, said that the pressure on the AGF did not work because up till date the US authorities had not made a request for Kashamu to be extradited to the US as required by the Extradition treaty the US and Nigeria as well as the Nigerian Extradition law.
He said that several people closed to the AGF had warned him to watch his back because there were moves to have him extradited to the US.
The letter further reads: “Kashamu’s enquiry revealed that indeed there had been moves by US officials within the region to secure the assistance of the head of the INTERPOL division in Nigeria, Mr. Solomon Arase, a Deputy Inspector General, for the arrest and delivery to the US officials of Kashamu for transportation to the US without following the due process required by the Nigeria Extradition Act.”
Source: Vanguard
