Hushpuppi: No formal report on Abba Kyari, says Police commission

HUSHPUPPI

The body charged with the responsibility of exercising disciplinary control and formulating policies and guidelines for appointment in the Nigeria Police Force, the Police Service Commission (PSC), has said that it is yet to receive a formal report on the allegations against Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari in a US court.

Recall that internet fraudster, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, alias Hushpuppi, was reported to have told the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about a deal between him and Kyari on the arrest of another suspected fraudster, Kelly Chibuzo Vincent. The US wants Kyari extradited to answer questions of the allegations.

Although, Police Inspector-General Usman Baba, said the Force Headquarters had commenced investigation into the allegations, the PSC said it was yet to be formally briefed on the situation.

The Commissioner in charge of Media on the board of the PSC, Mr. Austin Braimoh said that the commission would not be bound by the IG’s review of the allegations against Kyari. But he said a formal report has to come first from the appropriate quarters to the commission for it to take action.

“The PSC has no position on the allegations against DCP Abba Kyari for now,” he said. This is because no formal report is before the Commission on the officer. All we hear are mere allegations from media outlets. No constitutional body works with such. A formal report must come to the Commission from somewhere or someone. Besides, we heard that a United States Court either indicted or ordered his arrest. It sounds strange to me that a US court could order the arrest of a non-citizen, a Nigerian citizen resident in Nigeria.

“Nigeria is a sovereign nation with its laws and justice systems. We surely must be guided by our own attorney general, and also guided by our own courts, internal investigations and to trust our justice system. I’m not aware of any petition against the said officer before the Police Service Commission. If the IGP has one, we believe that he will do justice to it and forward to us for necessary action at the appropriate stage”.

A court document released by the United States Department of Justice on Wednesday, claims Kyari was bribed to arrest Vincent who created bogus documents and arranged for the creation of a fake bank website and phone banking line to support the swindling of a business person. Kyari has denied the alleagtion, stating that he did not demand any money from Hushpuppi. He said he also introduced the accused to a cloth seller whom Hushpuppi paid about N300, 000.