The Nigeria Police Force has arrested the suspended Head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), DCP Abba Kyari and handed him over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Kyari was arrested along with four operatives of the IRT.
The concerned officers included 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).
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 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 spokesperson, 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.
Read hereunder a press release by the Police confirming Kyari’s arrest.
PRESS RELEASE
POLICE ARREST DCP ABBA KYARI, 4 OTHER POLICE OFFICERS FOR ALLEGATIONS OF TAMPERING WITH NARCOTIC EXHIBITS, OFFICIAL CORRUPTION AND SUNDRY UNPROFESSIONAL INFRACTIONS
As IGP Orders Immediate Transfer of Case to NDLEA, Charges NDLEA to Investigate indicted officers of the Agency
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 (NDLEA) on 10th February, 2022.
In line with standard administrative procedure of the Force, the Inspector General of Police ordered a high-level, discreet, and in-house investigation into the allegations. The interim investigations report revealed that two (2) 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 (IRT).
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 (NDLEA) at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu who are on their pay roll.
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 (FBI), 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 allegation occurred while his suspension from service was subsisting.
On the strength of the findings of the in-house Police Investigation Panel, the Inspector-General of Police has ordered the immediate arrest and transfer of all the indicted police officers to the NDLEA authorities for conclusive investigation, while appropriate disciplinary actions are also being initiated against them by the Force leadership.
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.
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.
The Inspector General of Police assures the public of his administration’s commitment to upholding the tenets and values of policing in line with the agenda of ethical regeneration, restoration of professional standard, enhancement of the anti-corruption drive, respect for the rule of law and inter-agency collaboration in the drive to stabilise the internal security order of the country.
E-SIGNED
CSP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra
DEPUTY FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
FORCE HEADQUARTERS
ABUJA
14th February, 2022
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