John Campbell, a former United States Ambassador to Nigeria
has said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s, FBI, probe of suspended
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, and the ongoing probe by the Nigeria
Police Force, NPF, showed some hope of police reforms under the President
Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Recall that Kyari was indicted by the FBI in a
fraud case against cybercrime fraudster, Ramon Abass, also known as Hushpuppi.
Following the revelation, Usman Baba, the Inspector-General
of Police, had recommended Kyari’s suspension until the outcome of
investigations.
But Kyari had since dismissed the allegations against him
but admitted acting as a go-between for Hushpuppi and a local tailor in which
the fraudster supposedly made payments.
Reacting to the development, Campbell, in an article published by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), insisted that the probe of Kyari also showed a hopeful sign of police reforms which Nigerians had called for and which were one of the main demands of last year’s EndSARS protests.
He said, “The charismatic head of the Intelligence Response
Team (IRT) of the Nigeria Police Service, Abba Kyari, has been suspended
pending the investigation of allegations by the United States Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) that he was in cahoots with Ramon Abbas, better known as
“Hushpuppi “a Nigerian “Yahoo boy,” a popular Nigerian term for cybercriminals,
involved in money laundering and fraud.
“Abbas allegedly paid Kyari N8 million (about $20,000) to
arrest and jail a rogue member of Abbas’ criminal group; those allegations are
currently being investigated by the Nigerian police.
“Whatever Nigeria’s reputation, that of the police is poor,
both at home and abroad. Among Nigerians, the police are a byword for corruption—grand
and petty—and harassment, especially of the poor. Anti-police sentiment boiled
over late last year in protests against the notoriously brutal Special
Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS)—for which Kyari formerly served as the
officer-in-charge—collectively known as #EndSARS.
“The Buhari administration has promised police reform, of
which there has been little evidence. However, the investigation of Abba Kyari
could be a hopeful sign.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com