NDLEA dares Court, vows to maintain siege on Kashamu’s house

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has said that an order issued by a federal court, Tuesday, directing its personnel to vacate Buruji Kashamu’s home, would not stop it from performing its statutory responsibilities “in a lawful manner”.

Mr. Kashamu, a prominent member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party and Senator-elect for Ogun East, is wanted in the United States for drug related offences.

A Court in Lagos had issued a ruling ordering NDLEA operatives who had laid a siege on Mr. Kashamu’s home in Lagos, since the early hours of Saturday, to vacate the politician’s house.

The NDLEA said its operatives placed Mr. Kashamu under house arrest after it received a formal extradition request from the U.S.

On Monday, Mr. Kashamu failed to appear for the extradition hearing, with his lawyers claiming that the anti-narcotics agency did not have a court warrant for the house arrest.

In addition to the court’s vacation order on Tuesday, the judge also summoned Mohammed Adoke and Ahmadu Giade, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Chairman of the NDLEA respectively, to appear before him at the next adjourned date.

But in a reaction to the vacation order, the NDLEA said it had not received the court order and described media reports of the judge’s decision as “diversionary and inconsequential”.

“The NDLEA does not believe that any court will issue an order preventing a government agency from performing its statutory responsibilities in a lawful manner,” Mitchell Ofoyeju, the agency’s spokesperson said in a statement.

“The agency has therefore refused to be distracted and will continue to maintain presence at the residence. It is advisable that Kashamu respects the law by submitting himself to the due process of the law.