Police yet to submit Abba Kyari’s case file – PSC

The Police Service Commission has said that police authorities have yet to bring before it the case of the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, for further action.

A Commissioner representing the media in the PSC board, Austin Braimoh, disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent on Friday.

Kyari’s troubles started in July 2021 when he was indicted by Raman Abbas, widely known as Hushpuppi.

The Dubai Police in the United Arab Emirates had in June 2020 arrested Hushpuppi and his gang. They were later extradited to the US for prosecution by the FBI.

The FBI Special Agent, Andrew Innocenti, alleged that Hushpuppi contracted Kyari after a “co-conspirator,” Chibuzo Vincent, threatened to expose the alleged $1.1m fraud committed against a Qatari businessman.

In July 2021, the former Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, ordered ‘an internal review of the allegations’ against Abba Kyari.

In August 2021, Baba recommended Kyari’s immediate suspension.

The Police Service Commission ordered a fresh probe into the allegations against Kyari in January 2022, while in February of the same year, the PSC ordered further investigation of Kyari.

On February 14, 2022, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency declared Kyari wanted.

The NDLEA accused him of being a member of a drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline.

On the same day, the police arrested Kyari and four others and handed them over to the NDLEA for prosecution.

Braimoh added that the details of Kyari’s alleged involvement in the case should have been forwarded to the commission for further action.

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.