Police arrest Abba Kyari, hand him over to NDLEA

The Nigeria Police Force has moved against the suspended Head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), DCP Abba Kyari.

Kyari has been arrested along with four operatives of the IRT.

The concerned officers include ACP Sunday Ubuah, ASP Bawa James, ASP John Umoru (at large), Inspr. Simon Agrigba and John Nuhu.

Kyari and the four others are now with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

A source told The Star that Kyari is now in the custody of NDLEA

The embattled Kyari was arrested on Monday shortly after he was declared wanted by the NDLEA.

His arrest was in connection with 25kg of cocaine valued at N175 million.

The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed the arrest of Kyari and four other police officers for their involvement in an alleged case of criminal conspiracy, discreditable, unethical, and unprofessional conduct, official corruption and tampering with exhibits in a case of illicit drug trafficking involving a perpetual transnational drug cartel.

The NDLEA had earlier on Monday released a video showing how Kyari offered an operative of the Agency the sum of $61,400 and negotiated the release of 25kg seized cocaine.

The video showed Kyari entering the sport utility vehicle (SUV) of a senior NDLEA officer.

While inside the vehicle, Kyari did the negotiation in Hausa language.

He was seen showing the anti-drug operative something on his mobile phone.

Thereafter, Kyari handed over bales of United States currency totalling $61,400 for 5kg of cocaine.

The event happened on January 25, 2022 in Abuja.

NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, at a press conference held at the Agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday said: “With the intelligence at our disposal, the Agency believes strongly that DCP Kyari is a member of a drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline, and he needs to answer questions that crop up in an ongoing drug case in which he is the principal actor.”

Babafemi explained how Kyari was caught on camera.

His words: “The next day January 25, Kyari 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.

“And by 5:23p.m., Kyari was in Abuja and met with the officer at the same rendezvous where they had the first meeting. In their discussion, he disclosed how his team received the information from a double-crosser who betrayed the traffickers to him, showing a sordid connection between law enforcement agents and the drug underworld; he narrated how acting on the tip-off, his team departed Abuja to Enugu and arrested the traffickers, removed part of the consignment on his instruction and replaced same with dummies.

“He also indicated how to identify the remnant of the original cocaine that would be delivered to NDLEA, five original packages marked with red dots. The reason for this was to avoid the dummies being subjected to test. He forwarded a picture of the marked original cocaine package.

“According to the plan, once the 5kg cocaine has been tested in the presence of the suspects and confirmed positive, there would be no need to test the remaining ones, being dummies.

“He also brought with him the money from the sale of the 5kg share of the NDLEA team, a total of $61,400. Our officer, however, preferred to take the money inside his car. Well, the car was wired with sound and video recorders. And the moment was documented, part of which I will play for you at the end of this briefing.”

Kyari, the erstwhile Commander of Intelligence Response Team (IRT) at the Force Intelligence Bureau of the Nigerian Police Force, is on suspension over his links with internet fraudster, Abbas Ramon (aka Hushpuppi), and indictment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States.

The FBI demanded his extradition to the U.S. for trial.

FBI Special Agent, Andrew Innocenti, had alleged that Hushpuppi contracted the services of Kyari after a “co-conspirator,” Chibuzo Vincent, allegedly threatened to expose the alleged $1.1 million fraud committed against a Qatari businessman.

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, had initiated a probe of Kyari’s indictment. The Police Service Commission (PSC) had just ordered a further probe of Kyari.

Just last week, the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), disclosed that there are enough grounds to extradite Kyari to the U.S.

TheStar