According to a BBC pidgin report, the Nigerian government has stated its intention to extradite a suspended police officer, Abba Kyari, to the United States for his alleged involvement in Raymond Abas’s multi-million-dollar fraud case.
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, issued sometime in 2021, Abba Kyari, a high-ranking officer who has received numerous honours, was one of six people indicted over Hushpapi’s crime.
Hushpuppi, who amassed a large social media following in Nigeria with posts detailing his opulent lifestyle, was extradited from Dubai to the United States in July 2020 to face criminal charges.
After nearly a year in prison, he finally pleaded guilty to charges relating to schemes that resulted in more than $24 million in losses for their victims.
During the investigation, the Nigerian Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) indicted Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, and a warrant of arrest was issued against him by a U.S. magistrate judge, Otis Wright.
Kyari was accused of taking money from Hushpuppi in exchange for arranging for one of his conspirators to be imprisoned in Nigeria following a disagreement among the conspirators.
Kyari was suspended from the police force and his position as the Head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) by the Police Service Commission in August of last year as a result of this.
Despite the fact that the suspected police officer has denied any involvement in Hushpapi’s crime, the US government has called for his arrest, and the Nigerian government is reportedly preparing to transfer him to the US.
Speaking on the issue, Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Mr Abubakar Malami, stated that his government is working with the US government to ensure justice is served.
“The current position is that there are prima facie grounds.” That is, reasonable grounds for suspicion have been considered from the standpoint of prosecution, as well as the possibility of extradition if the need arises.
“Within the context of the international community of nations, as it relates to the prosecution of cases, the international community is indeed collaborating and providing the necessary support to ensure that justice is done to the case while taking the peculiarities of the matter into account.” So, in essence, I’m saying that, both internationally and locally, all hands are on deck.
Also read: Families of Taadi girls demands DNA tests and a state burial
“So, Nigeria is, indeed, doing the needful by supporting what America is doing to ensure that the cases are tried appropriately within the context of the American aspect of it, and then eventually if there is a need for local prosecution, nothing stops it,” the minister is quoted as saying during an interview with Nigeria’s Channels Television.
Follow Clicks ‘n Likes On Facebook for more updates
