The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, on Friday met for several hours with operatives of the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation in Abuja over the arrest warrant issued on embattled Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari following his alleged involvement in Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi fraud case.
WITHIN NIGERIA had reported that the United States Department of Justice had said ongoing investigations showed that Hushpuppi allegedly bribed Kyari to arrest one Kelly Chibuzo Vincent, one of his accomplices in Nigeria.
According to a court document released by the United States Department of Justice on Wednesday, titled: ‘Six Indicted in International Scheme to Defraud Qatari School Founder and then Launder over $1 Million in Illicit Proceeds’, Kyari was said to have been bribed to arrest one Kelly Chibuzor Vincent, 40, in Nigeria, who created bogus documents and arranged for the creation of a fake bank website and phone banking line to support the defrauding of a business person trying to provide $1.1m for the funding of a school in Qatar.
Allegation which Kyari has denied, stating that he did not demand any money from Hushpuppi, only introduced the accused to a cloth seller whom Hushpuppi paid about N300,000.
Kyari, who is also the Commander of the IGP Intelligence Response and Monitoring Team said he never demanded for a dime from Hushpuppi, admitting his focus was to save people’s lives that were purported to have been threatened.
Report, which has prompted the Inspector-General of Police to order a review of the information on Kyari.
According to SaharaReporters, top sources in the IGP’s office disclosed that the FBI detectives were with the IGP in his office till he went for the Friday’s Juma’at prayers.
The sources added that Kyari was given till next week to formally respond to the allegations till his extradition to the US would be decided by the police authorities.
One of the competent sources said, “The FBI detectives left when he (IGP) went for Friday Juma’at prayers. The FBI personnel were insistent and had a long meeting with the IGP till the close of work.
“Abba Kyari was given till next week to respond to allegations. The IGP agrees with them (FBI men) and assured that Kyari would not be assigned any new cases until the investigation was over.”
Another source added, “During the meeting, the FBI insisted that IG must issue a statement confirming that Abba Kyari had been indicted because of his earlier Facebook posting mocking the FBI investigation.
“Kyari later took down the post but blocked the news media outlets that were critical of him.”