Extradite Police Equipment Foundation (PEF) National Co-ordinator, Kenny Martins, to the United States to face charges of fraud.

President Umaru Yar'Adua may extradite Police Equipment Foundation (PEF) National Co-ordinator, Kenny Martins, to the United States to face charges of fraud.The government is in a dilemma over the demand for a $1 million legal fee by the lawyer representing it in a lawsuit instituted by Calvary Security Group in the United States, which was allegedly defrauded of $97.25 million by Martins.
Calvary Security had taken Nigeria to court in New York on the basis that it went into business with the PEF because evidence was produced that it was a government parastatal.Although the fee demanded by the U.S. legal firm was the least proposal submitted by the eight legal firms contacted to defend the country, Yar'Adua is said not to be disposed to paying the $1 million, which he considers a huge amount.It was learnt that he was furious when the issue was mentioned to him, and lamented that his government is not prepared to waste such money on an irrelevant legal battle brought on by the misdeed of one person.A source in Aso Rock and another at police headquarters in Abjua confirmed on Sunday that Yar'Adua has mandated the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Ministry of Justice to collaborate on the way forward.Yar'Adua would not mind extraditing Martins to face the law in the U.S., if that will help clear the image of Nigeria and prevent it from paying the legal fee.
Martins, who was arrested last Tuesday by the police, is expected to be charged to court today in Abuja.The case instituted against Nigeria came up for mentioning in a New York court on April 24 and was adjourned to July 26 to enable the country prepare its defence.
The source explained: "If you are in the shoes of Yar'Adua, will you pay such an amount in a case in which all that Nigeria needs do is prove that the PEF is not a government parastatal?"In this era of economic meltdown, Yar'Adua is right in questioning the sum demanded as legal fee. Just because of the misdeed of a single individual, we are about losing such a big sum. You can call Yar'Adua a tight-fisted man if you like."Calvary Security is demanding $30 million in damages, aside the request that the money collected from it by Martins be returned by Nigeria.