Drug charges: Travel to US to clear yourself, ex-envoy counsels Kashamu

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By Olusola AJIBIKE (Abeokuta)

NIGERIA: FORMER Nigerian Ambassador to Zambia and Malawi, Folake Marcos-Bello, wants the Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Buruji Kashamu, to travel to the United States to clear his name of alleged drug charges against him.

Marcos-Bello told Kashumu to head straight to the US to clear his name rather than wait until he is extradited.

The ex-Ambassador, who counseled the Senator while featuring on a live radio programme, The Podium on Sweet FM in Abeokuta, stated that Kashamu’s lawyers should have also advised him to go and defend himself against the allegation.

She said: “Crime does not go away, it does not expire.  It will continue to rear its head.  Nobody can claim he is guilty or innocent until he goes to clear this mess.”

Marcus-Bello, a one-time Women Commissioner in Ogun State, charged Kashamu to consider himself, his family and Nigeria, as a country,‎ to go and clear his name.

“For the sake of himself, his family, his constituency of hardworking, honest Ijebus, he should travel to get justice‎,” Marcus-Bello, also a lawyer said, adding: “It is simple if they are looking for you buy a ticket and go defend yourself.”

“It is like they say they are looking for Folake Marcus-Bello for children trafficking, I would buy a ticket and go to the embassy and say here I am please give me a visa let me go,” she stated.

She also said that it was shameful that the calibre of the Senator could claim that he would rather die and employ the service of Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) to prevent extradition.

She said: “It is shameful that somebody at that level, a senator of the Republic of Nigeria representing my constituents in Ogun State would say he would rather die, call up the private army of OPC to fight rather than being taken abroad.  Why?

“Look, let me tell you I am a lawyer, crime never goes away; this is the mistake a lot of people make and it is also part of our problems in this country.  We don’t know the law, we don’t know our rights, we don’t read, we don’t learn, it is a simple matter.”

Marcus-Bello added: “Crime does not go away; if you have committed a crime and you have not served the punishment for that crime, you can go on.  Let us assume you committed a crime at age 21 you can go on till you are 90, the day you are caught you will be tried and you will serve the punishment.”

“I am sure you watch crime investigation on DSTV.  Why is it that they apologise to some people they have jailed and they say oh the evidence then wasn’t right, why do they reopen file?”

“He is my Senator from my constituency; some of us from his constituency will escort him to ensure he gets justice,” the former General Manager of the defunct Gateway Hotels said.

She further said: “We know he will get justice, it is an organized society.  Let him clear this for the sake of Ogun State, for the sake of Ijebus, for the sake of Nigeria.   It is just a question of taking a flight to defend himself.”

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