THE ARREST AND INDICTMENT OF DCP ABBA KYARI BY THE NATIONAL DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY (NDLEA)
1. On Monday, 14th February 2022, Femi Babafemi spokesperson for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) addressed the Press in a short conference at their Headquarters in Abuja. The raison d’etre for the address was to inform the Press and Nigerians that following weeks of covert and overt operations, the NDLEA had busted a drug cartel that works hand-in-glove with some officers of the Nigeria Police. Of jarring concern however was the mention of DCP Abba Kyari as a key participant in the sordid affair. He was the arrow head of the plan to get the NDLEA officers to play along with his team while they sold part of the seized drugs and shared the money to all involved. The NDLEA person ‘played’ along and the rest is history. Prior to this time, Abba Kyari, already on suspension by the authorities of the Nigeria Police, had been enmeshed in what is now referred to as Hushpuppi-gate. Following an indictment by a California court in the United States and a handover request to Nigerian authorities by the FBI, time was ticking for Abba Kyari and the end of the ping-pong between the office of the IGP and the Police Service Commission (PSC) over his fate has been patiently awaited by Nigerians and Americans alike. The Press conference ended with Abba Kyari being declared wanted by the NDLEA having failed to turn himself in for debriefing despite invitations.
2. Later on the same day, the Nigerian Police through its spokesman CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi released a Press statement. The statement confirmed the arrest and handover of Abba Kyari and four other officers of the Police to the NDLEA as requested. One officer was declared missing. In the Press release by the Police, counter allegations against the men of the NDLEA at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu came to the fore. In essence, what the Police said is likened, on the one part, to an admission that its men were involved in actions that bordered on official graft and tampering with official narcotic exhibits inter alia. And on the other part, the Police also asked the Anti-Narcotics Agency to beam the searchlight on its own men whom according to the Police, were also involved in activities that shielded drug couriers for filthy lucre.
3. What stands out in this repugnant episode is the involvement of Abba Kyari. We can glean from the narrative that Abba Kyari, though on suspension, has been actively involved in dictating the course of justice at different spheres in cahoots with willing partners. More pointedly, men of the IRT still defer to him and engage him in their official and other sleazy dealings. The entire chronicle speaks to brazenness, bald-facedness, flagrancy and impudence. It also depicts the Nigerian Police as an institution that cannot tame its own. Months have passed since the Hushpuppi scandal broke and investigations commenced by the Police authorities. Up till the time of this release nothing has been officially said about Abba Kyari’s fate and the FBI request. Many people have alluded to Abba Kyari’s connections in the highest echelon of the Police and how he is untouchable. Others mention the delay in concluding that investigation as a proof of his seeming invincibility. From whatever perspective one chooses to view it, what has played out thus far bears testimony to these insinuations, otherwise in what sane clime will a law enforcement officer with such weighty allegations round his neck as the ones on Abba Kyari’s still nurse the impudence to carry on with atrocious activities even while on official suspension? One thing is certain, the upshots of this ignoble series of events will take a long while to go away.
4. As a Non-Government Organization that has actively canvassed for reforms in the criminal justice sector for over a decade, we recommend the immediate setting up of a commission of inquiry to look into the Abba Kyari years in the Police Force. Nigerians are witnessing the crust of a deeply entrenched rot in law enforcement. Upon the FBI indictment, many people called for the thorough investigation of Abba kyari. There have also been accusations of atrocities committed by him and his men at different times in his career. This latest episode signifies an unravelling of the Police. In course of our activities over the years we have encountered several inmates of Nigerian Correctional centres whose cases confirm the decay in the Police. In the present controversy, while we do not hold brief for the NDLEA, we hasten to say that the activities of the Police officers signify a new low in their already smeared image. The suggested Commission of Inquiry should be made up of Nigerians of impeccable character drawn from different Government agencies. Nigerians who are victims of these rogue officers should be called to come forward with their tales.
5. Finally, we emphasize the urgency of the need for reforms in the Police. This call cannot be exaggerated. The ENDSARS protest rode on the wheels of spontaneity and like a volcanic eruption which disgorges lava beyond its source, the ripple effect of the protest is still being felt today. Another protest, if allowed to take place, could bear cataclysmic consequences for Nigeria.
E-Signed:
Ben Abraham, Esq
Founder, ZAREPHATH AID
www.zarephathaid.org
ZAREPHATH AID (ZA) is a dynamic Non-Government, Nonpolitical and Nonprofit Organization with a vision for Criminal Justice reforms via Legal aid, prisoners’ welfare and rehabilitation.