By Stanley Maduabuchi Ofoegbu Esq

The federal government of today sees corruption as financial embezzlement only. Any other act that is not connected with finance, is not regarded as an act of corruption worthy of consideration especially, when such act is being perpetrated by a particular region or section of the state. The federal government of today, appears to be the federal government of a particular region as against the government of the entire states. Placing priority on things with little or no value, the cavalier proclivity for fripperies has not only caused the country a great deal, it has indeed defamed the image of the country before the international scene. A clear example is the Federal Government provision of N6.25 billion for cattle ranches in Katsina amid ailing Economy and Asuu Strike. Is this not a shame? What is the demand of Asuu that cannot be met as compared to cattle ranching? That aside.

It is now on record that the Federal High court has dismissed the suit seeking to extradite the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari on the ground that the suit lacks merit. Well, one would not have expected the court to do otherwise looking at the instant law.

Section 3 of the Extradition Act places a restriction on fugitives from being surrendered to foreign countries for prosecution when a charge is pending before them in a court of competent Jurisdiction. In the same vein, section 10 of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act confer powers on the Attorney General of the Federation to direct the prosecution of persons who contravene the provisions of the NDLEA ACT.

Looking at the provisions of the law, the question begging for an answer is, how or why did the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation commenced extradition proceedings against the suspended DCP Abba Kyari even when he had given directives to the NDLEA to file charges against the suspended DCP knowing fully well that the proceedings will be a nullity?

A demon cannot cast away a fellow demon. The federal government of Nigeria claimed to be fighting corruption even though the fight is only but sectional, the federal government itself is a bundle of corruption on its own. They are more of 5 and 6, 12 and half a dozen.

Clearly, the federal government through the office of the Attorney General knew that the best way to shield the suspended DCP Abba Kyari from the wrath of the U.S government is to file criminal charges against him and then follow it up with an extradition proceeding. A first-year student of law from Ebonyi State University without more, will know that a man who is standing trial in Nigeria cannot be extradited to a foreign country at the same time as one must give way for the other. The honourable Attorney General of the federation, is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Being a custodian of the law, it is eminently presumed that he understood the workings of the law to the letters.

The filing of criminal charges against the suspended DCP by the Attorney General of the federation as well, the commencement of extradition proceedings same time, was not only a gross abuse of court process as My Lord rightly held, it was also a gross abuse of the office of the Honourable Attorney General of the federation. An abuse of the prestigious rank of SAN and a show of the degree of the rottenness of the current government that claimed to be fighting corruption. It is a clear display of insincerity of the current government in fighting corruption and one will not be surprised if at the end, criminal charges against Kyari are quashed, withdrawn or even dismissed. What a shame!