Nyanya bombing: Ogwuche’s extradition process to complete soon – Envoy
Sudanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Tagelsir Ali, said on Wednesday the extradition process of Aminu Ogwuche, the suspected mastermind of the Nyanya bomb blasts, would be completed soon.
Mr. Ali told journalists in Abuja on Wednesday that both Sudan and Nigeria have similar standards guiding an extradition process.
Mr. Ogwuche was arrested in Sudan in May following the joint efforts of the Nigerian Army, Department of State Services, the National Bureau of Interpol based at the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters, and the Sudanese security operatives.
“There is an agreement between Sudan and Nigeria. It was supposed to be revisited in the last bilateral meeting that took place in Khartoum.
“The extradition treaties always got a sequence of procedures that has to be taken care of, about 17 or 18 procedures that have to be dealt with before a person can go back to his or her country.
“It is very important to wait until the procedures are finalised.
“I read some news here on the fact that Sudan was delaying the process.
“It’s not true definitely because I have been contacting Sudan every other day and I have been informed that everything is going on according to procedure and as soon as the procedures are finished the person will be handed over to Nigeria.
“I cannot tell how soon or the specific date when we’ll see this happening but what I can say is that people are doing their best to finalise this as soon as possible.“
Mr. Ali acknowledged that the extradition process was delayed at the initial stage.
He, however, gave the assurance that the authorities involved in the process are working hard to ensure that the requirements for the repatriation of Mr. Ogwuche are fully met.
He also noted that both parties shared cooperation in the areas of security adding “the head of security here in Nigeria is scheduled to visit the head of security in Sudan.
“Also, the Minister of Defence, Lt.-Gen. Aliyu Gusau, has received an invitation from the Minister of Defence in Sudan and this exchange of visits show that there are concerns about what is happening.”
“One of the things, I think, is our experience in combating these things because I think the worst war that has ever raged in Africa was the South/North war which lingered for 50 years.
“How we managed to bring this to a close is a very important lesson to learn and we are more than happy to share our experiences.
The envoy said that with the recent review of the bilateral commission, both countries are working toward strengthening the bilateral ties.
Mr. Ali noted that agreements in education, investment, military and political cooperation, tourism and culture among others were made and were followed up by both parties.
The envoy said both countries co-exist peacefully and said that about 10 million Nigerians live in Sudan while 12,000 Nigerian students were enrolled in different universities in the country.
The envoy also refuted the findings of a recent survey which indicted Sudan in the proliferation of small arms.
According to the 2014 Small Arms Survey carried out by Graduate Institute of International Development Studies in Geneva, stockpiles of the Sudanese Government were the primary source of weapons for non-state actors in Sudan and South Sudan.