- The police hierarchy has not forwarded Kyari’s case to the PSC; they were only informed of his arrest and suspension due to law violation
- The PSC will weigh Kyari’s case if it’s presented to them, evaluating his breach of professional ethics while legal aspects are handled by the court
The Police Service Commission has stated that the case of the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, has not been presented to them by the police authorities for any subsequent steps.
Austin Braimoh, who represents the media on the PSC board, shared this information in an interview on Friday.
Kyari’s troubles began in July 2021 after he was implicated by Hushpuppi, also known as Raman Abbas.
Hushpuppi and his group were arrested by Dubai Police in June 2020 in the United Arab Emirates and later extradited to the US for FBI prosecution.
FBI Special Agent Andrew Innocenti claimed that Hushpuppi engaged Kyari in response to a threat from a co-conspirator, Chibuzo Vincent, who allegedly committed a $1.1 million fraud against a Qatari businessman.
Former Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, initiated an “internal review of the allegations” against Abba Kyari in July 2021.
In August 2021, Baba recommended the immediate suspension of Kyari.
The Police Service Commission initiated a new investigation into Kyari’s alleged activities in January 2022, and in February of the same year, they ordered further inquiries.
On February 14, 2022, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) issued a wanted notice for Kyari, accusing him of involvement in a drug cartel operating the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline.
Kyari and four others were apprehended by the police on the same day and handed over to the NDLEA for prosecution.
Braimoh emphasized that the specifics of Kyari’s alleged role in the case should have been submitted to the commission for appropriate follow-up.
He said, “No report of him has reached the PSC. All that the PSC received from the former IGP was that he has a case to answer and should be suspended which is an interim thing when someone is being investigated.
“The police hierarchy has not forwarded his case to the commission. The only thing that was done is that when he was arrested, they informed us that he has breached the law and should be suspended.
“If his case comes to the commission, the commission will weigh them. As of now, details of his involvement in the alleged crime ought to be before the commission for the commission to act on the areas he breached professional ethics while the court handles the criminal aspects.”
Asked if the commission had reached out to the police authorities on the matter, he said, “You don’t go asking; it is automatic. It will look as if we have a secondary interest in the matter. As we speak, there is nothing before the commission to adjudicate on.”
However, efforts to get the Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, to react on the matter proved abortive as he did not pick up calls to his line.
He has also yet to respond to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.