A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Muiz Banire has described the indictment of Deputy Commissioner for Police, Abba Kyari, in the case of international fraud, as a dent on Nigeria's image as a country.
Banire spoke as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, while reacting to the suspension of Kyari by the Police Service Commission, PSC, on Sunday.
A statement by the commission’s Head of Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, noted that the suspension of Kyati was conveyed in a letter signed by Justice Clara Bata Ogunbiyi, a retired justice of the Supreme Court.
Kyari’s suspension took effect from July 31 and would subsist pending the outcome of the investigation in respect to his indictment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, of the United States.
The PSC also directed the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to furnish it with information on developments on the matter for necessary further action.
Kyari’s suspension followed the issuing of an arrest warrant by a U.S magistrate judge, Otis Wright in the case involving popular socialite, Ramon Igbalode, alias Hushpuppi.
Documents unsealed last week in the US indicated that, Kyari had arrested and jailed one Chibuzo Vincent, at the behest of Hushpuppi, following disagreements with Chibuzo on sharing formula of illicit funds from wire fraud.
He also allegedly sent Hushpuppi bank account details into which he (Hushpuppi) could deposit payment for Vincent’s arrest and imprisonment.
Kyari, in a Facebook post on Thursday, however, denied the allegations, saying that Chibuzo was detained following a report by Hushpuppi that he threatened to wipe out his entire family members.
He said Vincent was eventually released on bail after no actual threats were discovered, pointing out that, “Nobody demanded a kobo from Abbas Hushpuppi.
“Our focus was to save people’s lives that were purported to have been threatened,” Kyari said.
Last Wednesday, the US Department of Justice had announced that Hushpuppi and six other persons had been involved “in an elaborate scheme to steal over $1.1 million from a business person attempting to finance the construction of a school for children in Qatar.”
In laundering the proceeds of the Qatar operation, a dispute broke out among members of the conspiracy, courts documents said.
The dispute allegedly prompted Vincent Chibuzo, one of the members, to contact the victim and inform him of the scam operation.
It was after this contact that, Hushpuppi allegedly arranged to have Vincent jailed in Nigeria by Kyari.
Kyari was also alleged to have provided third-party bank accounts to receive payment for the illegal arrest.
