Suspended Deputy Commissioner of police, Abba Kyari has been taken into custody by the police.
This is coming hours after he (Kyari) was declared wanted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency over alleged drug links.
He is under detention at the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Bureau in Area 10 of Garki District in Abuja, the Nation’s capital.
It will be recalled that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, declared Abba Kyari wanted for alleged involvement in drug-related offences.
According to The PUNCH, he was arrested alongside four others on Monday.
A senior police officer at the Force headquarters told the Newspaper that Kyari was handcuffed and arrested like any other suspect.
“He has been arrested. He was handcuffed and will be handed over to the appropriate agency. He was not given any preferential treatment,” the police officer said.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Force, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, also confirmed Kyari’s arrest.
He, however, did not give details, saying that a press release would be issued soon.
When asked to confirm Kyari’s arrest, Adejobi replied, “Yes and four others. A statement will be issued soon.”
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, had at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, chronicled how Kyari belonged to a drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline.
The anti-drug agency said Kyari contacted one of its officers in Abuja and struck a deal to secure the release of a total of 25kg seized cocaine.
Babafemi said, “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. The officer conveyed “their” willingness to play the game.”
“He (Kyari) 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.
“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,” NDLEA spokesperson said.
The suspended DCP is also under investigation after the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States of America indicted him in the case of fraud involving Instagram celebrity, Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi.
Abba Kyari Moved To NDLEA custody
Abba Kyari, the suspended deputy commissioner of police (DCP), has been transferred to the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) had earlier announced the arrest of Kyari over his alleged links to drug cartels.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, in a statement confirmed that the police handed Kyari over.
Others are ACP Sunday J. Ubua; ASP Bawa James; Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu.
They were driven into the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja at about 5pm on Monday for interrogation and further investigation.
The agency vowed that no stone will be left unturned to ensure that suspects in custody and those that may still be name face the full weight of the law.
How Abba Kyari Proposed Sale Of 25kg Cocaine, Offered $61,400 To NDLEA Officers
A full briefing by the the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has revealed how suspended police officer DCP Abba Kyari, proposed to sell about 25kg of cocaine and offered undercover NDLEA officers the sum of $61,400.
Before his suspension over links with convicted fraudster Hushpuppi, Mr Kyari was the Commander of tbe Intelligence Response Team (IRT) at the Force Intelligence Bureau of the Nigerian Police Force.
Spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi in a briefing on Monday revealed that the embattled cop is a member of a drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline, an accusation to which he needs to answer questions.
According to Babafemi, Kyari had initiated a call to one of its officers on Friday, January 21, 2022.
“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,” Mr Babafemi explained.
“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.
“By 11: 05 am on Monday, 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. The officer conveyed “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 himself and his men of the IRT of the Nigerian Police. According to him, the informants were given 7kg while his team took 8kg 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. At N7m per kilogram, the proceed from the 5kg would amount to N35m, at the exchange rate of N570 per dollar being the black market rate for the day, January 24, 2022. In effect, he would be delivering $61, 400 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 ground in Abuja. At the time, he was speaking from Lagos, where he allegedly travelled for private business.
“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: 23 pm, 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.”
The NDLEA spokesman explained that relevant channels of communication were duly followed in the demand for Kyari without any result and as such the NDLEA cannot continue to keep other suspects in the case indefinitely while the principal suspect fails to honour official invitation.
“NDLEA has the mandate to take custody of suspects and consignments of drugs seized by other arms of law enforcement and there is a standard protocol for such transfer.
“This we duly followed. The suspects and drugs were delivered to us on February 8 but the last part of the process, yet to be completed, is the debriefing of Kyari,” Mr Babafemi stated.
“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 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, the NDLEA spokesman declared.
Arrest NDLEA officers who worked with Kyari’s accomplices, IGP tells Marwa
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has urged the Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig-Gen Buba Marwa (retd), to immediately arrest officers of the anti-narcotic agency involved in drug crimes with accomplices of suspended cop, Abba Kyari.
The police boss made this known in a statement on Monday while announcing the arrest of Kyari and four other police officers fingered by the NDLEA in drug-related crimes.
Reacting in a statement also on Monday through the Force Spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, the IGP said incontrovertible evidence indicted Kyari in the drug crimes.
It partly read, “The Nigeria Police Force has arrested DCP Abba 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 arrest of the officers was sequel to pieces of information received from the leadership of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on 10th February 2022.
“The interim investigations report revealed that two international drug couriers identified as Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus, both males, were arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu on the 19th of January, 2022 upon their arrival from Addis Ababa aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET917.
“The arrest led to the recovery of substantial quantity of powdery substance suspected to be cocaine from the two narcotic couriers. The operation which was intelligence-driven was undertaken by a Unit of the Police Intelligence Response Team.
“Although the case and the two suspects were subsequently transferred to the NDLEA on the 25th January 2022, the findings of the in-house investigation ordered by the Inspector General of Police established reasonable grounds for strong suspicion that the IRT officers involved in the operation could have been involved in some underhand and unprofessional dealings as well as official corruption which compromised ethical standards in their dealings with the suspects and exhibits recovered.
“Beyond this, the Police investigation also established that the international narcotics cartel involved in this case have strong ties with some officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu who are on their payroll.
“The two arrested drug couriers confirmed that the modus is for the transnational drug barons to conspire with the NDLEA officers on duty and send them their pre-boarding photographs for identification, seamless clearance, and unhindered passage out of the airport with the narcotics being trafficked.
“The two arrested drug couriers also confirmed that they have been enjoying this relationship with the NDLEA officers at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport since 2021 and had in this instant case of 19th January 2022, been identified and cleared by the NDLEA officers as customary, having received their pre-departure photographs and other details prior to their arrival in Enugu, and were on their way out with the narcotics when they were apprehended by the Police.
“The Police investigations report also indicted DCP Abba Kyari, who had been on suspension for his alleged involvement in a different fraud case being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, for complicity in the allegation of official corruption, tampering with narcotics exhibit and sundry unprofessional conducts that negate the standard administrative and investigative protocols of the Force as well as extant criminal laws.
“It is to be emphasised that DCP Abba Kyari’s involvement in these allegations occurred while his suspension from service was subsisting.”
He said the affected police officers have been transferred to the NDLEA for prosecution. “The concerned officers include DCP Abba Kyari, ACP Sunday Ubuah, ASP Bawa James, ASP John Umoru (at large), Inspr. Simon Agrigba and John Nuhu. They have all been, accordingly, handed over today 14th February 2022 to the NDLEA authorities,” he said.
The statement also added, “In so doing, the Inspector General of Police has also formally requested that the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency should ensure the identification, arrest, and investigation of the Agency’s officers who have also been found to be colluding with the international drug cartel involved in this case towards advancing the anti-narcotics agenda of the federal government.
Obi Cubana trends on Twitter
Billionaire business mogul Obi Cubana is trending on the microblogging app, Twitter after the arrest of the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari.
He was arrested alongside four others on Monday over alleged illicit drug links.
The arrest came hours after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) declared him wanted over alleged drug links.
After Kyari’s arrest, the Chairman of Cubana Group has begun to trend on Twitter.
Many argued the popular nightlife boss may just be the target of the NDLEA seeing he was reportedly grilled by operatives of the agency on January 13 over alleged drug ties.
It was reportedly alleged that suspicious payments were made into Cubana’s account by three convicted drug dealers from Malaysia, Nigeria and India.
Some others hoped Obi Cubana was not involved in drug trafficking as it is no news that the duo has a good rapport.
In January, Obi Cubana shared photos with Abba Kyari, who made his first public appearance upon his suspension at IGP Alkali son’s wedding in January.
The embattled DCP was among guests that attended Obi Cubana’s much-talked-about mother’s burial which took place in Oba last year.
Social media users have been reacting to the development.
@gwenshuga tweeted: “I actually feel Obi Cubana is the target to this Abba Kyari NDLEA story.”
@Mistakobz said: “Obi Cubana is still under investigation for drug trafficking. Abba Kyari is now officially wanted by the NDLEA. Are you all following the pattern of the expanding drug investigations? Be worried!! Your favourite celebrities/ skit markers might soon be on the table.”
@jacfran6 wrote: “It shouldn’t be that Obi Cubana is into drugs …you can’t be too friendly with a criminal cop if you yourself ain’t a criminal…just saying ni ooo but still Check and balance.”
@eronsjohnson stated: “Honestly, at this point, you should be worried for Obi Cubana. If he has one tiny skeleton in his cupboard. They will use this Abba Kyari bromance to tear him down.”
@roqzee tweeted: “The last high profile invitee for drug-related investigation was Obi Cubana. Are you following the pattern of the expanding drug investigation? Your favourite music artistes and skit makers are trembling right now. Enjoy the movie.”
@SamuelOmogor said: “The music is getting very interesting. “Those d gods want to kill, he first makes mad.” Obi Cubana was doing whatever he was doing to make quietly until d gods of his village visited him, and Oba happened. Now dude must dance to d music. Abba Kyari’s career has ended. Nothing else.”
@ifesinachiii wrote: “Nigerians want Obi Cubana to be indicted by fire by force. They are yet to come to terms that one can make legit money and still be having maximum fun like ọkpataozuora.”
@RealBasheerUsm1 stated: “Abba Kyari’s Relationship with Obi Cubana at that burial says a lot…”
@Geekingshedy tweeted: “The Secret between Obi Cubana and Abba Kyari is now getting clearer now & It looks like Obi Cubana is the target to this Abba Kyari NDLEA Story.”
@fadeojamomi quizzed: “Did Obi Cubana snitch on Abba Kyari the last time he was at the NDLEA office? Is this a ploy to re-arrest Obi Cubana having linked Abba Kyari to the drug cartel? Who was Abba Kyari negotiating for, himself or his cartel? Many Equations to be solved.
@OfficialDewale said: “Obi Cubana and Abba Kyari trending after the NDLEA declared the suspended police chief wanted brings to mind this Tupac video!”
Police should parade Abba Kyari like Nnamdi Kanu, says Reno Omokri
Former presidential spokesman, Reno Omokri, has raised concerns over the circumstances surrounding the arrest of suspended Head of Intelligence Response Team and Deputy Police Commissioner, Abba Kyari, by the Nigeria Police.
He questioned the rationale behind the secret nature of Kyari’s arrest, which he claimed, was unlike that of embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra who was publicly paraded by the Directorate of State Services on several occasions.
Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, raised the concerns on his Twitter page on Monday.
He tweeted, “Why the secrecy over Kyari’s arrest? We saw how they paraded a political prisoner like Nnamdi Kanu in handcuffs. Let’s see Abba Kyari paraded like that too for equity. And since Kyari is a fashion consultant, let them force him to wear designers as they did to Kanu!”
Nigerians celebrated Kyari’s bravery but recent revelations show sharp contradiction ― CAN
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN ) said it was following the new revelations about Abba Kyari with great concern and some reservations till they are proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
Rev.Joseph John Hayab, Vice President of CAN in the Northern states and Abuja, said although many Nigerians had celebrated the bravery of Kyari recent revelations are showing a sharp contradiction.
“But it is pertinent to advise many in uniform and any other office of authority not to allow the euphoria of their office or uniform to make them act or be used by some powerful forces to destroy others, forgetting that a day of reckoning is coming either now or later.”
“When you see the arrogance at which some people in uniform treat other Nigerians when behind the scene they are doing terrible things against the law of Nigeria.”
He alleged that “when you observed the uncivil way some police and military officers carry out their duties you will know they have some hidden things they want to cover. “
“Their action is like visiting a shrine where the priest has to act funny to make you afraid claiming to be speaking with the gods when in reality he is speaking to nobody but acting to cover his lies.”
“Many Nigerians have celebrated the bravely of Kyari but recent revelations are showing a sharp contradiction. Our police and all security agencies should use the case of Kyari if confirmed to be true, to investigate or monitor many of her officers who are living above their means and terrorizing innocent citizens without respect to the rule of law claiming to sanitize the society whereas they are not clean and are the people destroying the society.
“These new revelations about Abba Kari have further put the credibility of many who are acting as saints outside when on the inside they are dangerous and a shame to the nation and the system they are representing.
“CAN pray and hope that many will learn from this, make amend, and start living and working with good conscience for the sake of the country and the good name of their family,” he said.
