Falana describes Obasanjo’s statement on Kashamu as an insult

Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, says ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo insulted the collective intelligence of Nigerians with his condolence message on the death of Buruji Kashamu, a former senator from Ogun state.

Reacting to the condolence message in a statement on Monday, Falana said Obasanjo’s message is laced with hypocrisy.

He accused the ex-president of aiding Kashamu’s activities during his lifetime, but turning back against him after his death.

“Some people have said that it is against the African culture to speak ill of the dead. That is far from the truth. In the past, Africans spoke ill of the dead and exposed the dead if they were found to have engaged in abominable activities that brought shame to a community. In fact, the bodies of dead men and women who were found to have brought pestilence to a community were buried in the bush,” the statement read.

“Therefore, Chief Obasanjo has not abused the African culture by attacking the late Senator Buruji Kashamu for allegedly manipulating the law to escape justice at home and abroad. However, it is the hypocrisy of his message that should be criticised because it is against the African culture to aid and abet a criminal suspect in his life time only to turn round to attack him in his grave.”

Kashamu had a brush with the law over allegations of drug dealing while he was in the US.

Falana said the evidence given by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) under Obasanjo cleared him of drug charges in 2003.

The human rights lawyer said Kashamu funded the PDP, Obasanjo’s party at the time, where he became a political leader.

He said although a feud later occurred between Obasanjo and Kashamu, the suit seeking to extradite the ex-senator is still pending at the supreme court.

“In 1999, the British Government had initiated moves for the extradition of Kashamu to the United States for trial for drug related offences. But the evidence given in favour of Kashamu in 2003 by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration cleared the suspect of drug charges,” he said.

“Consequently, the British Court rejected the request to extradite Kashamu on grounds of uncertainty about his identity and freed him after 5 years in jail. Thereafter, Kashamu returned to the country as a free man and was admitted to the PDP as a full fledged member. He funded the party and became a political leader.

“In 2015, due to renewed pressure from the Government of the United States the Federal Government filed proceedings at the Federal High Court for Kashamu’s extradition for trial in the United States. But the Federal High Court dismissed the extradition proceedings based on the clean bill of health which the NDLEA had given Kashamu in 2003.

“Dissatisfied with the judgment of the Federal High Court the Federal Government appealed to the Court of Appeal. In May 2018, the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal and set aside the several orders of the Federal High Court which had stopped his extradition. Kashamu’s appeal against the order of the Court of Appeal for his extradition is still pending at the Supreme Court.

“Since Chief Obasanjo believes that “The life and history of lifetime of the departed have lessons for those of us on this side of the veil” the political leaders who frustrated his extradition from the United Kingdom, welcomed him back home and used him to build political structures should stop insulting the collective intelligence of the Nigerian people.”