The Supreme Court has affirmed the extradition of former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), Emmanuel Okoyomon, to the United Kingdom, dismissing his appeal against earlier court decisions that approved his transfer.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Friday, a five-member panel of the apex court, headed by Justice Mohammed Garba, held that Okoyomon’s appeal lacked merit. The lead judgment, found no basis to disturb the concurrent decisions of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.
The appeal, challenged the June 6, 2016 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, which upheld the May 4, 2015 ruling of the Federal High Court authorizing Okoyomon’s extradition at the request of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).
The Supreme Court decision cleared the way for Okoyomon’s extradition to the United Kingdom, where he is wanted in connection with alleged bribery involving officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the NSPMC, and Australian firm Securency International Pty.
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In the earlier appellate court judgment, Justice Moore Adumein held that Nigeria is bound by its obligations under the London Scheme for Extradition within the Commonwealth and the provisions of the Extradition Act.
He noted that the relevant international commitments had been substantially incorporated into Nigerian law, making the extradition request legally sustainable.
The Court of Appeal had concluded that the AGF established sufficient grounds for the extradition request, while Okoyomon failed to provide convincing reasons why it should be rejected.
Addressing one of the issues raised by the appellant, Justice Adumein held that the trial court’s consideration of whether Okoyomon was a British citizen did not affect the substance of the extradition proceedings. He observed that the appellant failed to demonstrate that any procedural omission regarding that issue resulted in a miscarriage of justice.
According to the appellate court, the question of Okoyomon’s citizenship was not central to determining whether the extradition application was meritorious.
The court then dismissed the appeal, having resolved the key issues against him.
The Supreme Court agreed with the findings of the lower courts, affirming the Court of Appeal’s judgment while declining to award costs against Okoyomon.
Editor: Roluke Ogundele
