Highly decorated policeman DCP Abba Kyari, faces dismissal and criminal prosecution if found culpable of aiding and abetting fraud as alleged by celebrity Instagram influencer, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, known as Hushpuppi.
Hushpuppi had fingered Abba Kyari in a $1.1m fraud case as having aided the arrest of a co-fraudster, who upon his release, went underground and eventually tipped off the victim a Quattari School owner, scuttling the deal.
The Police Service Commission (PSC) Abba Kyari’s employer said on Friday that the celebrated hard working cop risks dismissal or demotion and criminal prosecution if found culpable.
In a chat with a PUNCH correspondent on Friday, the Commissioner in charge of Media on the board of the Police Service Commission, Mr Austin Braimoh, stated the PSC would equally probe the outcome of the investigations sanctioned by the IGP against Abba Kyari; adding that this would determine the indicted cop’s fate in the Force.
He was quoted to have said: “The commission won’t say anything until we get the official report. We are the final decision-maker on his fate as a police officer. Everything concerning his indictment can be investigated and the criminal aspect of it can be sent to the law court.
“But on the official aspect concerning discipline; no other body has power to do anything to him as a police officer, it is only the commission that has such powers.
“So, the commission is awaiting the full report of investigation and his indictment and we will treat it officially. We would apply the law. The law will determine the various punishments that we can award against him. He can be dismissed depending on the gravity of the offence; we can demote him, reduce his rank or suspend him.
“Many things are laid out before us pertaining to various offences and after that, the criminal aspect would be referred to the court for prosecution. It depends on how the report is coming; whether it is coming to us directly for us to extricate the criminal aspect and treat it or they want to treat it and refer the official one to us to discipline him.’’
Abba Kyari is one of the shining lights in the Nigeria Police Force; following a string of exploits and high-profile crime-busting achievements. However, he was recently indicted in a $1.1 million fraud allegedly perpetrated by Hushpuppi and five other suspects; including three Nigerians based in the US.
The widening circle of the investigation had roped in Abba Kyari.
An arrest warrant was issued, Thursday, by a US court for Kyari after being accused of participating in the fraud.
A fallout over the sharing of the proceeds between Hushpuppi and Kelly Chibuzo Vincent; another co-conspirator on the $1.1m fraud had led to the involvement of the super cop, Kyari; whom Hushpuppi accused of obtaining bribes in return for arresting and detaining Vincent for allegedly defrauding Hushpuppi.
Kyari has, however, denied any wrongdoing; even as he disclosed that Vincent was picked up over a reported case of threat to life and subsequently released.
Hushpuppi was arrested in the UAE in June 2020 alongside 11 of his associates. The alleged syndicate was nabbed over allegations bordering on hacking, impersonation, scamming, banking fraud, as well as identity theft. His extradition to the US came after the UAE police announced his celebrated arrest in a special operation dubbed Fox Hunt 2; in which he was accused of defrauding 1.9 million victims to the tune of N168 billion.
Consequently, he was arraigned and detained at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago ahead of his trial. He had recently pleaded guilty to the money laundering charges against him.
Hushpuppi faces over 20 years in prison, if found guilty.