The United States government has officially dropped a 31-year-old narcotics case instituted against late Nigerian politician, Buruji Kashamu. Judge Jorge Alonso of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Eastern Division) approved the motion on Friday, April 18, citing the legal impossibility of prosecuting a deceased individual.
The judge noted that this decision follows confirmation of his death in 2020 through DNA analysis. Kashamu, who passed away in August 2020.
The US government had continued to pursue the long-standing case until it could conclusively verify his death. Once DNA evidence confirmed Kashamu’s identity, federal prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss the case.
The case against Kashamu dates back to March 17, 1994, when he was indicted on charges of running an international drug trafficking operation. The allegations claimed that Kashamu led a network that used Americans to smuggle drugs across borders, a story that partly inspired the hit Netflix show ‘Orange Is the New Black.’
Following the indictment, Kashamu was arrested in the United Kingdom (UK).
US authorities sought his extradition, but a British court denied the request, ruling that the evidence failed to prove Kashamu was the correct suspect. He maintained that the charges were a case of mistaken identity, blaming his brother for the alleged crimes, a defense the UK court accepted.
Kashamu returned to Nigeria in the year 2009, to begin his political career. He later joined the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and was elected senator for Ogun East in 2015, serving until 2019. Soon after his election, US officials again attempted to extradite him.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), working with American counterparts, stormed his residence. Kashamu resisted arrest by locking himself inside for days, eventually obtaining a court order to stop the operation. Despite ongoing legal battles and multiple court orders urging him to face trial in the US, Kashamu remained in Nigeria until his death in 2020.
He consistently denied any wrongdoing.
With the recent court decision, the case that spanned more than 30 years has finally been laid to rest. However, it remains uncertain whether US authorities will pursue Kashamu’s assets, including real estate investments.