In a judgement on Monday, Justice Inyang Ekwo ruled that the extradition application filed by the government through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice was “incompetent and bereft of merit.”
The US Department of Justice has released a statement after a court in Nigeria refused to grant order extraditing suspended police officer, Abba Kyari to the US.
The spokesperson, US Department of Justice’s Senior Communications Advisor for International Law Enforcement, Nicole Oxman, speaking on Monday, did not give detailed explanation.
In an email to The PUNCH, Oxman wrote, “As a matter of policy, the US Department of Justice generally does not comment on extradition-related matters until a defendant is in the United States.”
Recall that the Federal government had asked the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to okay Kyari’s extradition to face trial over his alleged involvement with a notorious internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi.
In a judgement on Monday, Justice Inyang Ekwo ruled that the extradition application filed by the government through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice was “incompetent and bereft of merit.”
According to the judge, the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, ought to be aware that the Extradition Act, forbade the surrendering of a defendant that is already facing trial before a competent court in the country.
He said the law was clear that Kyari, having been docked before a court of competent jurisdiction in the country, “shall not be surrendered until the such case has been discharged either by his conviction or acquittal.”
Consequently, the court held that the extradition request was incompetent and deserved to be dismissed.