The suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, found himself in hot water in July 2021 following an indictment by Raman Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi.
Hushpuppi, arrested by Dubai Police in June 2020, was later extradited to the US, where the FBI claimed he collaborated with Kyari in a fraud scheme.
Following these allegations, an internal review was ordered in July 2021 by then Inspector General of Police Usman Baba.
A month later, Baba recommended Kyari’s suspension. The Police Service Commission, in 2022, initiated several investigations into the matter.
On February 14, 2022, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency declared Kyari wanted, linking him to a drug cartel.
The same day, police arrested Kyari, later handing him to the NDLEA for prosecution.
Police Commissioner Austin Braimoh, in an interview with Punch, noted that the details of Kyari’s case should be presented 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 had 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 was that when he was arrested, they informed us that he had 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.”
