Press Release
Justice E. S
Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja today April 14, 2015 deferred
ruling in the extradition proceedings brought against Ehidiamhem Okoyomon,
former managing director and chief executive of Nigeria Security, Printing and
Minting Company, NSPMC, by the office of Attorney General of the
Federation, to May 4, 2015.
Instead of the
ruling, prosecuting counsel, M. S Hassan and defence counsel, Chukwuemeka J.
Dumaka, who stood in for Alex Iziyon, SAN, re-adopted their written addresses
and oral submissions in line with the constitutional provision that parties to
any trial must re-adopt their addresses if judgment was not delivered within
three months of the adoption of final addresses. It is over three months since
the parties first adopted their written addresses.
The court had
originally reserved ruling for December 1, 2014 but adjourned on the grounds
that the judgment was not ready. Today’s adjournment is the fourth time ruling
would be deferred in the extradition case.
Okoyomon is
wanted in the UK over his alleged role in the bribery scandal involving
officials of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, the Nigeria Security Printing and
Minting Company, NSPMC, and Securency International Pty of Australia, between
2006 and 2008.
His counsel, Iziyon, SAN, had argued
that the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the application to extradite the
respondent, that the 1931 treaty which the prosecution counsel is relying upon
has been repealed by Decree No 87 of 1966.
He argued that the 1931 treaty
between UK and Nigeria was just an agreement, not a law. “I submit that, even
if you want to consider that, it was between UK and United States and it
governs the protectorate that was under UK then. We have since left in 1960”.
Hassan, in response, argued that the 1931
treaty became applicable to Nigeria in 1935 and that it was never repealed by
any enactment. He further told the court that “schedule 2 under extradition
law provides that the law shall apply to all Commonwealth nations”.
He urged the court to grant his plea
based on the extradition treaty of 1931 between Nigeria and the UK which is
applicable in Nigeria.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
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