NDLEA declares DCP Abba Kyari wanted over ‘links with international drug cartel’

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has declared Abba Kyari, suspended deputy commissioner of police, wanted over alleged links with an international drug cartel.

Femi Babafemi, spokesperson of the NDLEA, announced the development, in a press briefing on Monday.

Babafemi said the anti-drug agency decided to declare Kyari wanted because he did not honour the invitation sent to him.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had indicted Kyari of conspiring with Hushpuppi, self-confessed international fraudster, in a $1.1 million scam.

The suspended police officer had denied the allegation, claiming that his “hands are clean”.

Speaking at the press briefing, Babafemi said the anti-drug agency strongly believes that “DCP Kyari is a member of a drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline”.

The NDLEA spokesperson said Kyari has questions to answer in an ongoing drug case.

He narrated how Kyari and the intelligence response team arrested some traffickers who arrived in the country from Ethiopia with 25kg of cocaine.

Babafemi alleged that Kyari and his team proposed to take 15kg of the seized cocaine for themselves.

“Let me give a synopsis of what transpired. The saga started on Friday, January 21, 2022, when DCP Kyari initiated a call to one of the NDLEA officers in Abuja at 2:12 pm,” the NDLEA spokesperson said.

“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.

“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.

“Now, anybody who is in touch with the reality of the renewed drug war by NDLEA since January 18, 2021, would know that that was a tall order because our officers and men have rededicated themselves to the war against illicit drugs and what Kyari was asking for was not tenable, not in this new dispensation, not with the new NDLEA.

“Well, I am not here to wash his dirty linen in public. But I want us to understand how we arrive at this juncture whereby we are having this press briefing.

“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.

“Gentlemen of the press, DCP Abba Kyari was invited by NDLEA for debriefing on Thursday February 10 through two main channels because there are 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 the 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.”