The Police Service Commission has made it clear that they are still awaiting the presentation of the case involving the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, for further necessary actions.
Providing insight, Austin Braimoh, a PSC board member representing the media, shared this information during an interview on Friday.
Kyari’s troubles took root in July 2021, when Raman Abbas, commonly known as Hushpuppi, implicated him.
Back in June 2020, Dubai Police in the United Arab Emirates apprehended Hushpuppi and his gang, who were subsequently extradited to the US for FBI prosecution.
FBI Special Agent Andrew Innocenti alleged that Kyari was engaged by Hushpuppi following threats from an associate, Chibuzo Vincent, to expose an alleged $1.1 million fraud against a Qatari businessman.
Former Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, launched an “internal review of the allegations” against Abba Kyari in July 2021.
In August 2021, Baba recommended Kyari’s immediate suspension.
In January 2022, the Police Service Commission initiated a fresh investigation into the allegations against Kyari, followed by an additional inquiry in February of the same year.
On February 14, 2022, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency declared Kyari as a wanted individual, accusing him of being part of a drug cartel that operated the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline.
Kyari and four others were subsequently arrested by the police on the same day, and they were handed over to the NDLEA for prosecution.
Braimoh emphasized that the specifics of Kyari’s alleged involvement in the case should have been submitted to the commission for further action.
He clarified, “The PSC has not received any reports regarding him. All we were informed of by the former IGP was that he had a case to answer and should be suspended. The police hierarchy has not forwarded his case to the commission.”
Braimoh added that if the case were to come before the commission, they would carefully evaluate it. He stressed that currently, the commission doesn’t have anything to consider in relation to the matter.
When asked about communication with the police authorities on the issue, he noted that it’s not something the commission actively seeks. “It would seem like we have ulterior motives if we were to inquire. At present, there’s nothing for the commission to review.”
Despite efforts to reach Force spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi for comment, he remained unreachable and hadn’t responded to messages at the time of filing this report.