Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, four others, arrested Monday

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Nigeria, NDLEA, had declared the suspended commander of the police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), DCP Abba Kyari wanted

The Drug enforcement agency has accused the embattled cop of belonging to a drug cartel

Deputy Commissioner of Police Kyari was declared wanted by NDLEA after being caught in an undercover bribe-for-drug-release sting, which caught on tape

DCP Kyari, 51, who until his recent replacement was the commander of the police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), is currently being investigated by the Police Service Commission

FBI forwarded evidence that Kyari, accepted bribes from flamboyant Instagram influencer and mega fraudster, Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi

Hushpuppi has been convicted in a US court and awaits sentencing

He has been suspended from duties after he was indicted by the FBI who requested his extradition to face trial in US

In October 2020, world attention focused on widespread protests by Nigerians demanding their govt. disband the vicious, corrupt police unit, SARS – his previous command

The embattled high ranking Nigerian police officer who is facing an extradition request by the United states, was arrested by the police alongside four others on Monday, February 14, 2022, hours after he was declared wanted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency [NDLEA], and handed over to the drug enforcement agency
The NDLEA had declared the suspended head of the infamous police strike force SARS, wanted early. Deputy Police commissioner Abba Kyari wanted The Drug enforcement agency has accused the embattled cop of belonging to a drug cartel.
DCP Abba Kyari was declared wanted by NDLEA after being caught in a undercover drug sting which caught on tape.
DCP Kyari is also currently under internal investigation by the Police Service Commission after FBI forwarded evidence that he accepted bribes from flamboyant mega fraudster Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi.
Abbasi has been convicted in a US court and awaits sentencing in a US court in the next few days.
US Department of Justice has requested Kyari be extradited to face trial.
NDLEA held a press briefing on Monday February 14, to make allegations that the former Commander of the Intelligence Response Team [IRT] of the police force is a member of a drug cartel that controls an illicit drug pipeline between Brazil, Ethiopia and Nigeria.
According to Femi Babafemi, the agency’s media director, Kyari’s failure to cooperate with their investigation forced the agency to go public with the outcome of their investigations:

It is unfortunately, the agency said the briefing, that some law enforcement agents who are supposed to be partners in the pursuit of President Muhammadu Buhari’s mandate to fight crime and corruption are in the lead in bucking the system, breaking the law, going as far as to aid and abet drug trafficking in the country.
“Today, we dey forced to declare one of such law enforcement agents wanted in the person of suspended DCP Abba Kyari, the former Commander of Intelligence Response Team (IRT) for the Force Intelligence Bureau of di Nigerian Police Force.’ The agency spokesperson told the gathered media.

NDLEA of Nigeria declares Dep. Comm. of Police Abba Kyari wanted

“With the intelligence available we have gathered, the Agency believe strongly that DCP Kyari is a member of a drug cartel which operates a Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline, and he needs to answer questions that have cropped up in the course in one ongoing drug case in which he is a principal actor, ” Babafemi said,

NDLEA tok wetin hapun

NDLEA allege say di mata start on Friday, January 21, 2022, wen DCP Kyari make call to one of di NDLEA officers for Abuja for 2:12 pm. Wen di officer return di call two minutes later, Kyari inform am say e dey come to see am to discuss one operational mata afta Juma’at service. **”E show for di agreed venue of di meeting with di officer and go straight to di koko of di mata. ****Na like dis: Im team bin gbab and arrest some traffickers wey come into di kontri from Ethiopia with, according to am, 25kg of cocaine. **E propose a drug deal wia im and im team go take 15kg of di cocaine and leave 10kg for di prosecution of di suspects wey dem arrest with di illicit drug for Enugu. In di meantime, di cocaine wey dey dia hand go dey replaced wit fake one wey worth 15kg. E askdi NDLEA officer to ask im men for di FCT Command, to play along too.” NDLEA allege.

Abba Kyari – Hushpuppi palava

In the wake of the bribe scandal trailing Kyari, the Nigeria Police Service Commission (PSC) on Friday give police two weeks to conclude further investigation into his alleged involvement with convicted international fraudster Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi.
An earlier on, A special panel earlier set up by the country’s Inspector General of Police to investigate the Hushpuppi connection has submitted it’s report to the Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Ministry for legal advice.
However the PSC, the apex supervisory agency for all law enforcement matters found that report unsatisfactory and has decided that a second internal investigation conducted by police should take half the time of the first one. Furthermore, this is being conducted by a different panel.
Kyari was suspended over allegations that entangled him with a $1.1 million internet fraud perpetrated by Instagram influencer, Hushpuppi and four orders. The FBI indicted Abba Kyari over allegations of his links with Instagram influencer and fraudster, Hushpuppi. US officials in their affidavit say Hushpuppi claimed that at the fraudster’s instigation, Abba Kyari arrested one member of his fraud syndicate with whom Hushpuppi had a falling out.
Until his suspension and subsequent replacement, Kyari, was the commander of the Inspector-General’s Intelligence Response Team.
Nigeria police opened the investigation on Abba Kyari after the FBI allegation.
The US Justice Department has requested the policeman be extradited after the FBI alleged that Hushpuppi pay $20,600 into two bank accounts allegedly provided by Kyari on January 20, 2020.
The report said, Abba Kyari allegedly sent Hushpuppi details of a bank account for the deposit before he would make the arrest.
But Abba Kyari has denied any involvement with Hushpuppi. however he has since been suspended from duty pending the outcome of the investigations.

It is unfortunately, the agency said the briefing, that some law enforcement agents who are supposed to be partners in the pursuit of President Muhammadu Buhari’s mandate to fight crime and corruption are in the lead in bucking the system, breaking the law, going as far as to aid and abet drug trafficking in the country.
“Today, we dey forced to declare one of such law enforcement agents wanted in the person of suspended DCP Abba Kyari, the former Commander of Intelligence Response Team (IRT) for the Force Intelligence Bureau of di Nigerian Police Force.’ The agency spokesperson told the gathered media.

“With the intelligence available we have gathered, the Agency believe strongly that DCP Kyari is a member of a drug cartel which operates a Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline, and he needs to answer questions that have cropped up in the course in one ongoing drug case in which he is a principal actor, ” Babafemi said
Addressing newsmen Babafemi head of the NDLEA said DCP Kyari is wanted for being one of the leaders of a Cartel of Drug Barons operating the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria network noting that several instances of his intervention to free arrested Cocaine and H
According to Babafemi: “The saga started on Friday, January 21, 2022, when DCP Kyari initiated a call to one of the NDLEA officers in Abuja at 2:12 pm.
“When the officer returned the call two minutes later, Kyari informed him he was coming to see him, to discuss an operational matter after the Juma’at service.
“He appeared at the agreed venue of the meeting with the officer and went straight to the crux of the matter.
“This was it: His team had intercepted and arrested some traffickers that came into the country from Ethiopia with, according to him, 25kg of cocaine.
“He proposed a drug deal whereby he and his team are to take 15kg of the cocaine and leave 10kg for the prosecution of the suspects arrested with the illicit drug in Enugu.

“In the meantime, the purloined cocaine will be replaced with a dummy worth 15kg. He asked the NDLEA officer to persuade men of the FCT Command, to play along as well.
The agent reported Kyari’s overture to his superiors.
On January 24, after the Agency gave the officer the green light to play along, he and Kyari began a WhatsApp call for the rest of the day, with the officer conveying ‘their’ willingness to play the game.
“At this point, Kyari disclosed that the 15kg (already taken out) was shared between the informants that provided information for the seizure and he and his men of the IRT of the Nigerian Police.
Kyari claimed the informants were given 7kg of the stolen cocaine, while his team retained 8kg themselves, which was already sold.
“He then offered to pay the NDLEA team (that is the officer and the FCT commander) by selling, on their behalf, half of the remaining 10kg, thereby further reducing the original cocaine for the prosecution to just 5kg,” which according to Babafemi would have meant a net of $61, 400, delivered to the NDLEA team.
“He put pressure on our officer to wrap up the arrangement with the commander of the FCT Command to take custody of the drug and suspects from his men who were on the ground in [the capital], Abuja,” Babafemi said.
At the time, Kyari was speaking from Lagos, but the next day, he offered to send his younger brother to deliver the payment while his men deliver the suspects, but our officer turned down the suggestion, insisting he would rather deal with him in person and was therefore prepared to wait for him to return from Lagos.
Kyari subsequently met with the agent at the same Abuja rendezvous where they had the first meeting, and in he course of the discussion Kyari disclosed how his team received the information from a double-crosser who betrayed the traffickers to him.
Then acting on the tip-off, his team travelled from Abuja to Enugu, arrested the traffickers, before removing part of the consignment on his instruction. These were replaced with dummies.
To avoid the dummy packs being subjected to test, Kyari’s team delivered to NDLEA, with the five original packages marked with red dots, He also forwarded a picture of the marked original cocaine package.
The plan, was to have the 5kg of cocaine tested in the presence of the suspects and confirmed positive, there would then be no need to test the remaining “dummy” packs.
Kyari also brought $61,400, the money from the sale of the 5kg share he’d allocated to the NDLEA team. The agent however expressed a preference to conduct the transaction inside his vehicle.
The vehicle was wired with sound and video recorders, “So we have a trove of intelligence, hard facts, from chats to photos and video and a detailed transcript of the communication between him and the NDLEA officer,” Babafemi revealed.

“It is disheartening to hear him say of this rogue team, and I quote: ‘I do take good care of them, and this kind of work is done by only that team.”
“It is equally disheartening to hear him give details of another similar operation which they pulled off, three weeks ago, according to him.
“Well, I am not here to wash his dirty linen in the public. But I want us to understand how we arrive at this juncture whereby we are having this press briefing.
“Gentlemen of the press, DCP Abba Kyari was invited by NDLEA for debriefing on Thursday, February 10 through two main channels because there is a whole lot of questions begging for answers.
“The invitation was legitimate and formal according to our protocol. But up till the close of office hours on Friday, February 11, he refused to respond. Up till this moment, he hasn’t responded.
“We are a law-abiding agency of government. We follow due process. In that vein, we will not detain suspects beyond the stipulated period according to the law before we charge them to court. And Abba Kyari must be debriefed before the suspects are arraigned in court.
“Having failed to honour the official invitation, NDLEA has no option but to declare DCP Abba Kyari of the Nigerian Police WANTED, right from this very moment.
In October 2020, there was widespread protests by the Nigerian public demanding the disbandment of the notoriously vicious and corrupt police unit, SARS. The protesters were met with violent suppression by Army and Police – directed by government – shooting at unarmed civilians with live bullets and consequent loss of lives which by some accounts could be just shy of 100 people. Kyari until just before the protests
Kyari was the immediate past commander of the SARS at the time.