Kayode Oyero


An Abuja-based human rights lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has urged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to parade narcotics suspect, Abba Kyari, with 25kg cocaine, $61,400 and other exhibits recovered from the Deputy Commissioner of Police.

Olajengbesi stated this in a Facebook post on Thursday, noting that security agents should embarrass Kyari by parading him before the media as they do to other suspects.

“In this Abba Kyari’s case, the Nigerian security agencies are yet to demonstrate equal lawlessness they carry out in investigating and embarrassing citizens by interviewing them on cameras, taking their pictures holding boards with incriminating inscriptions and parading them with their criminal items in press conference like they do to common criminals.

“We need the NDLEA to bring Abba Kyari to answer questions on TV with display of the 25kg cocaine. Let us not be hopeless in this country!” the lawyer wrote.

The PUNCH had earlier reported that the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, on Monday, handed over Kyari to anti-narcotics agency for prosecution over alleged link in drug trafficking after the NDLEA release damning photo and video evidence to nail Kyari.

The NDLEA said Kyari, the suspended head of the Intelligence Response Team, belonged to a drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline.

The anti-narcotics agency also said Kyari contacted one of its officers in Abuja and struck a deal to secure the release of a total of 25kg seized cocaine and offered $61,400 bribe to NDLEA officers who played along until his arrest.

The NDLEA also said it had photo and video evidence against Kyari.

The IGP in a statement had corroborated the NDLEA’s findings, saying incontrovertible evidence indicted Kyari in the drug crimes.

The police had been investigating Kyari for over eight months after the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States indicted the “super cop” in 2021 for his alleged role in a $1m scam allegedly perpetrated by alleged international Internet fraudster Ramon Abbas, aka, Hushpuppi and five others.

The FBI had said Hushpuppi paid Kyari N8m or $20,600 for the arrest and detention of a “co-conspirator,” Chibuzo Vincent.

The United States Attorney’s Office at the Central District of California had declared Kyari wanted but the Nigerian government has yet to extradite him to face prosecution in the US before the cop’s NDLEA ordeal.

However, in its recent report, the Nigeria Police Force revealed that members of a syndicate led by Hushpuppi paid N235,120,000 to Kyari’s younger brother.

The probe also indicated that Kyari equally funnelled N44m to his brother’s bank account in multiple transactions.

However, the investigation report obtained by our correspondent failed to disclose whether Kyari’s brother was acting as a proxy for his embattled elder brother who is currently in NDLEA custody and is expected to be arraigned for drug trafficking-related offences.

Security agents have also not arrested Kyari’s brother as of press time.