Nigerian court orders extradition of senator to U.S.

LAGOS, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian Court of Appeal Friday cleared the coast for the extradition of a serving senator, Buruji Kashamu to the United States to face trial in a drug related offence.

The appellate court in a landmark judgment voided and set aside all orders made by a federal high court between 2014 and 2017 restraining the government from proceeding with the extradition.

The Nigerian government had in 2014 moved to extradite Kashamu to the U.S., to answer criminal charges filed against him in an American court on drug offence.

The U.S. government had approached the Nigerian government to extradite the senator in line with the extradition treaty between the two countries.

But the senator through his counsel rushed to the Federal High Court with complaints that due process of law was not followed in the extradition process.

He claimed in his suit that the person indicted for the alleged drug offense was his younger brother who had a striking resemblance with him and who had since died. Enditem