Kashamu escaped justice, couldn’t beat death – Obasanjo

Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says the death of Senator Buruji Kashamu should be seen as a lesson for all mortals.

Mr Obasanjo stated this in a condolence message to the Ogun State Government on Saturday which was made available to reporters by his media aide Kehinde Akinyemi.

Kashamu was wanted by United States authorities for years to face charges on alleged drug offences but extradition attempts failed repeatedly.

“Senator Esho Jinadu (Buruji Kashmu) in his lifetime used the maneuver of law and politics to escape from facing justice on alleged criminal offence in Nigeria and outside Nigeria,” Obasanjo said.

“But no legal, political, cultural, social or even medical maneuver could stop the cold hands of death when the Creator of all of us decides that the time is up. May Allah forgive his sin and accept his soul into Aljanah, and may God grant his family and friends fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

Meanwhile, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has expressed shock over Kashamu’s death.

In a statement on Saturday by his chief press secretary Kunle Somorin, the governor said: “I received the sad news of the passing of Senator Buruji Kashamu today, 8 August, 2020, with a deep pain and grief that words cannot capture. On behalf of my family, the Government and good people of Ogun State, I convey our deepest condolences. His demise further diminishes the tribe of my close political associates. He was a large-hearted politician and courageous fighter for whatever cause he believed in.

“He was not just a loving personality, a generous giver and someone who lived for others, he was to many a beacon of hope of a better tomorrow. This painful exit is much more than the end of an individual.”