The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami has been ordered by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to surrender a suspected notorious criminal, Asuquo Mbuotidem Edem to the Ghanaian Government for prosecution.
Edem has been accused of alleged involvement in robbery and other related offences in Ghana.
The presiding judge, Justice Faloshade-Giwa, gave the ruling in an extradition suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1456/2019 filed on behalf of the Ghana Attorney General by Akutah Pius Ukeyima of the Federal Ministry of Justice.
A 23-count charge bothering on conspiracy, rape, robbery, money laundering, being in possession of firearms without licence, among others against Edem is said to be pending before a court in Ghana.
He was alleged to have fled to Nigeria, prompting the Attorney General of Ghana to apply to his Nigerian counterpart for his (Edem’s) extradition.
And Justice Giwa-Ogunbanjo held that the applicant (the Ghanaian AGF) satisfied the necessary legal requirements for the grant of the extradition request.
The judge said she was satisfied that the offences for which Edem was wanted in Ghana were “extraditable offences” under the provision of Order VIII (1)(a) of the Extradition Rules 2015.
She added that the alleged offences are contrary to and punishable under Nigerian law, being similar to the provisions of sections 401, 402, 403(a) and (b), 357, 358 and 516 of the Criminal Code and Section 3 of the Firearms Act Cap F28 LFN 2004.
