By LUCY ADEGBE
Following the indictment of Nigerian super Cop, DCP Abba Kyari in United States Court, on a $1.1 million fraud scheme involving disgraced internet scammer, Ramon Abbas Olorunwa aka Hushpuppi, questions regarding his extradition to the United States for trial have been raised.
A United States court sitting in California had, on July 26, 2021, ordered the FBI to arrest the Nigerian cop. However, the Nigerian Police Service Commission, the agency in charge of disciplinary actions, says the FBI has no power to make arrests in Nigeria without the commission’s findings and approval.
According to reports, the FBI has since been in touch with the Nigerian Police Force.
Nigeria’s extradition treaty with the U.S.
An extradition treaty signed between the United States and other countries allows them to request for repatriation of persons wanted for criminal offences by the United States Authorities.
On December 22, 1931, the United States and Nigeria signed the Extradition Treaty. The treaty was enforced and became effective on June 24, 1935.
Because of this treaty, several Nigerians have been extradited to the United States for offences bordering on illicit drugs, advance fee and wire fraud, and terrorism-related offences.
However, since the treaty became effective in 1935, there is no public record showing the extradition of United States citizens to Nigeria to face criminal charges.
The Street Journal, in this piece, has compiled a list of Nigerians who have been extradited to the U.S. to face criminal charges related to illicit drug deals, money laundering, wire fraud, and terrorism.
1. Lanre Shittu
Alhaji Lanre Shittu, the chairman of Lanre Shittu Motors, in December 2020 was allegedly whisked from the country to the U.S. and arraigned after he was declared wanted by the US Drug Enforcement Agency.
He was arraigned for allegations centered on money laundering and illicit drug deals.
Shittu’s extradition was termed ‘unofficial;’ as his arraignment in December 2020 came barely two days after he was allegedly abducted in Nigeria.
How Shittu appeared in the U.S court remains a mystery owning to the fact that there was a pending civil suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja over a move by the Federal Government to have him extradited to America.
But officials of the Nigerian government did not wait or obey the court order before he was forcefully extradited to the USA.
2. Prince Buruji Kashamu
For close to two decades, the U.S. tried to extradite Prince Buruji Kashamu to face charges bordering on illicit drug deals.
Kashamu, on May 25, 2015, refused to attend a court hearing on his extradition to the US on 20-year-old drug charges. Rather, he filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, praying the court to stop his extradition to the U.S.
Giving his judgment on May 8, 2020, Justice Okon Abang restrained the federal government from taking fresh steps to extradite Prince Kashamu.
Justice Abang held that no fresh application for Kashamu’s extradition could be initiated when previous judgments of the Federal High Court in Abuja and Lagos prohibiting the extradition moves had not been set aside by superior courts.
Until his death, he remained a tough nut to crack, insisting he was innocent of the charges and had been cleared of same by a British court. He vowed never to travel to the US.
3. Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi
A Nigerian court, on August 28, 2013, granted the request of the U.S. Embassy for the extradition of Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi to the United States for a federal indictment charge against him for providing support to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula by recruiting members to train in Yemen.
4. Lati Alagbada
Alagbada Lateef, popularly called Lati Alagbada, a music promoter, was declared wanted by the U.S government to stand trial on hard drugs charges.
Justice Muslim Hassan had in May 2020 granted an application by the Attorney General of the Federation to extradite Alagbada to the U.S.
Things took a twist after the Federal High Court in Lagos granted him a N5m bail on July 8, 2020, on grounds the federal government failed to extradite him to the United States.
The judge, in his ruling, noted that the COVID-19 pandemic might have delayed Alagbada’s extradition, adding that the music promoter had also appealed the judgment granting the AGF’s request to extradite him.
5. Adedeji Adeniran
The Nigerian government, on Nov. 2, 2019, extradited 56-year-old Adedeji Adeniran to the Northern District of Florida, United States, and he arrived in the western country on Nov. 3.
According to U.S. authorities, Adeniran was the leader of a criminal group that committed large bank fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud conspiracy that involved a loss of $4.1 million and involved 42 victim financial institutions.
Adeniran and his criminal gang, between 2002 and 2004, fraudulently obtained the identities of others and opened numerous bank accounts in the United States. The group members deposited counterfeited checks into those accounts and then wired the proceeds of the fraud to Hong Kong, Turkey, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates.
Based on an extradition request of the United States, a Nigerian court
issued a warrant for Adeniran’s arrest on Oct. 23, 2018. Adeniran was arrested by Nigerian authorities on March 21, 2019. He remained in custody till he was extradited.
6. Oladimeji Seun Ayelotan
The 30-year-old Oladimeji Seun Ayelotan and five other Nigerian nationals were extradited from South Africa to Gulfport, Mississippi, to face a nine-count federal indictment in the Southern District of Mississippi alleging various Internet fraud schemes. A total of 20 defendants were also charged in this case.
Their extradition was announced on July 13, 2015.
Adelotan was extradited alongside:
(a) Rasaq Aderoju Raheem, 31;
(b) Olusegun Seyi Shonekan, 33;
(c) Taofeeq Olamilekan Oyelade, 30;
(d) Olufemi Obaro Omoraka, 26; and
(e) Anuoluwapo Segun Adegbemigun, 39,
The six of them were charged with 15 others following an Oct. 7, 2014, indictment with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit identity theft, use of unauthorized account access devices, theft of U.S. government funds, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
7. Ramon Abbas aka Hushpuppi
Ramon Abbas, AKA Hushpuppi, a Nigerian citizen, was extradited to the United States on July 2, 2020, following his arrest in Dubai.
The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Christopher Wray had praised the “exceptional effort exerted by the United Arab Emirates”, in fighting transnational organized cybercrime including the arrest of Hushpuppi and Woodberry taken down in the operation Fox Hunt 2.
Hushpuppi and ten members of his syndicate were indicted in fraudulent scams running into hundreds of millions of dollars.
The disgraced fraudster pleaded guilty recently and will be sentenced in October 2021.
Hushpuppi was notorious for displaying a flamboyant lifestyle on social media.
8. Olalekan Jacon Ponle
Olalekan Jacon Ponle also known as Woodberry was arrested in Dubai, alongside Hushpuppi, before his extradition to the United States in July 2020. After several court sittings, he was released as pieces of evidence found on him weren’t enough.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali, has recommended the suspension of DCP Kyari, pending an investigation into the allegations leveled against him by the FBI.
Hushpuppi had brought Kyari into the fraud scheme to arrest his gang member-turned-rival, Kelly Chibuzo who was displeased by his cut from the fraud proceeds, according to a months-long investigation by Andrew Innocenti, an FBI special agent.
Kyari’s involvement, according to Innocenti, was “to ensure CHIBUZO’s continued arrest, thereby preventing CHIBUZO from notifying the Victim Businessperson of ABBAS’ and JUMA’s fraudulent scheme and preventing CHIBUZO from hijacking the scheme for his own benefit.”
“The decorated Nigerian cop was also said to have told ABBAS that he would not allow CHIBUZO’s girlfriend to pay money to get CHIBUZO out of custody as he would have done for a ‘normal arrest’.”
However, Kyari’s denial of the matter hasn’t been able to let him off the hook.