Hushpuppi: Abba Kyari’s fate ‘hangs in a balance’ as embattled police commander awaits disciplinary report
The fate of the erstwhile Commander, Intelligence Response Team, Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, is hanging in the balance as the Police Service Commission awaits the recommendations of the Force Disciplinary Committee on his case.
It was gathered that the FDC’s recommendations would form the crux of the commission’s decision and also determine Kyari’s future in the Nigeria Police.
Punch had reported that the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, last month dispatched the Special Investigation Panel report on Kyari’s alleged roles in the $1.1m fraud perpetrated by an Instagram influencer, Abbas Ramon, popularly known as Hushpuppi and four others, to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and the PSC.
The report contained the case file, evidence and findings as well as testimonies from Kyari and other persons and groups linked to the matter.
A Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, Andrew Innocenti, had in a document titled, ‘Criminal complaint by telephone or other reliable electronic means’ filed before the United States District Court for the Central District of California, alleged that Hushpuppi contracted Kyari to detain a co-conspirator, Chibuzo Vincent, for threatening to expose the alleged $1.1m fraud committed against a Qatari businessman.
The agency also said Hushpuppi paid $20,600 into a bank account provided by Kyari.
The court consequently ordered that Kyari be detained for 10 days.
Hushpuppi has pleaded guilty to money laundering and is expected to spend 20 years in prison.
A date is to be fixed for Hushpuppi to change his previous not guilty plea to guilty, which would be followed by a sentencing hearing for the judge to determine how long he will spend in jail.
Kyari was suspended from service on July 31 following alleged involvement in the fraud. He also appeared before the SIP.
The SIP Chairman, Joseph Egbunike, a Deputy Inspector-General of Police, submitted the panel’s findings to the IGP on August 26, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, 24 days after the panel was inaugurated.
Giving an update on the case on Wednesday, a senior official explained that Kyari has responded to a query from the FDC, adding that the committee is expected to come up with recommendations based on his response and the facts contained in the SIP report.
The source stated, “The case is still with the Force Disciplinary Committee which handles cases of misconduct and unprofessional acts by senior officers.
“After the SIP report was submitted to the AGF and the Police Service Commission, Kyari was queried and he answered the query.
“The FDC is expected to draw up recommendations which would be forwarded to the PSC for deliberation and action.
“As it is now, the DCP’s fate is hanging in the balance. Ultimately, his future in the police would be determined by the police service commission.”
The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, did not respond to request for an update on the case.
Calls to his phone rang out and he had yet to respond to an SMS as of the time of filing this report.
Via Punch
