Court Orders Extradition Of Drug Fugitive To UK To Serve 66 Months’ Jail Term

Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the extradition of convicted drug baron, Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, to the United Kingdom (UK) to serve a 66-month prison sentence imposed on him by a British court for drug-related offences.

Justice Faji gave the order while delivering judgment on an application filed by the attorney-general of the federation (AGF).

The court held that the federal government had fulfilled all the statutory requirements under the Extradition Act for Ilomuanya’s surrender.

Ilomuanya, also known as Val, Valentine Ilomuanya, and Henry Ilomuanya, was convicted at Isleworth Crown Court in the UK after he absconded while on bail.

The extradition proceedings followed a formal request by the United Kingdom, with the AGF filing the application on 6 March 2026.

In his judgment, Justice Faji held that the attorney-general established a prima facie case by presenting all the required extradition documents, including an authenticated certificate of conviction, a warrant of arrest issued by UK authorities, and diplomatic requests seeking the respondent’s return.

The judge relied on the Supreme Court’s decision in Attorney-General of the Federation v. Princewill Ugonna Anuebunwa (2022), which outlines the legal conditions for extraditing fugitives from Nigeria.

He found that the UK’s request complied with the provisions of the Extradition Act and that the offences for which Ilomuanya was convicted were extraditable.

Justice Faji dismissed the respondent’s objection that the application was invalid because the Attorney-General of the Federation did not personally sign it.

He held that Section 4 of the Law Officers Act empowers the Attorney-General to delegate the signing of official documents to officers of the Federal Ministry of Justice.

According to the judge, the official seal affixed to the court processes substantially complied with the law, adding that technical objections relating to signatures, seals, or failure to tick the signatory’s name could not invalidate the proceedings.

The court also rejected Ilomuanya’s challenge to the authenticity of the UK conviction documents, holding that they bore original signatures and had been duly authenticated before a District Judge in the United Kingdom.

Justice Faji further ruled that the diplomatic communications from officials of the UK Central Authority and the British High Commission in Nigeria constituted valid requests under the Extradition Act.

On the respondent’s argument that criminal proceedings were pending against him in Nigeria, the judge held that the objection lacked merit because the prosecution had discontinued the local charge before the extradition application was filed.

He ruled that the Notice of Discontinuance filed on 24 February 2026 effectively terminated the proceedings, leaving no pending charge capable of preventing his extradition.

Justice Faji also rejected Ilomuanya’s contention that the 13-year delay between his conviction and the extradition request rendered the proceedings oppressive.

He observed that the respondent had jumped bail, fled the United Kingdom without notifying the trial court, and was subsequently tried in absentia.

“A duly convicted person who jumped bail must not be allowed to escape the long arms of the law,” the judge held, adding that a fugitive could not rely on a delay caused by his own actions to defeat extradition.

The court also dismissed Ilomuanya’s claim that he was medically unfit to travel because he was undergoing traditional treatment in Imo State.

Faji held that no credible medical evidence was presented to support the claim, noting the absence of any report from an orthodox medical practitioner or details of the alleged traditional healer.

He further observed that the respondent failed to explain how he could have travelled from the United Kingdom to Nigeria if he was incapable of enduring long-distance flights.

Describing the health claim as an attempt to frustrate the execution of the UK sentence, the judge stressed that Nigeria was bound to honour its international treaty obligations in the fields of extradition and mutual legal assistance.

Having found merit in the Attorney-General’s application, Justice Faji granted the request and ordered Ilomuanya’s surrender to the United Kingdom to serve the 66-month prison sentence imposed by the British court.