By John Ikani
Disgraced and suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari is yet to be stripped of his presidential, parliamentary and a host of other honours despite being indicted for serious crimes, both home and abroad with incontrovertible shreds of evidence.
Kyari, a highly decorated DCP was the most celebrated ‘crime-buster’ in the Nigerian Police Force, leading him to be given the sobriquet of a ‘Supercop’ for what many thought to be his extraordinary, if not close to legendary prowess in tracking down and nabbing armed robbers and kidnappers.
When the ‘crack investigator’ appeared before Nigeria’s House of Representatives on June 11th 2020 to be paid glowing tributes by lawmakers for what they described as ‘his exceptional service’ to the Nigeria Police Force and the country as a whole, little did he know that events of the ensuing years would interrogate the legitimacy of his so-called achievements.
The standing ovation Kyari got from the lower chamber of Nigeria’s bicameral National Assembly was only 13 months old before he was declared wanted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for his membership in the internet fraud syndicate led by Instagram Celebrity Ramon ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas.
For a man who headed a critical intelligence unit of the Nigerian police known as the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), it was very telling that Kyari was anything but intelligent as made evident by the series of contradictory and self-incriminating statements he dished out in futile attempts to distance himself from the crime demanding his extradition to the US.
It would later be learnt that Kyari was a master at strategic positioning, a con officer who used social media to create an image of being a ‘super cop’, the only cop in Nigeria doing his job. He perfected the craft of aligning with high-profile cases, positioning himself just in time to take credit for work majorly done by other police officers. He was in words and deeds a master self-promoter, exhibiting Machiavellianism at its very best!
Despite being suspended, the disgraced ‘Super Con’ who was earlier named Africa’s Best Detective of the Year 2018, as well as the Best Police Officer of the Decade, would go on to covertly work with his fellow IRT members in trafficking drugs, an operation that has been going on long enough to make the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) recognize him as a distinguished member of an international drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline.
It goes without saying that Kyari is not just a disgrace to himself, but to the entire Nigerian Police which must now contend with stripping him of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police Commendation Award for courage in 2011, as well as the Commendation Medal For Courage he was given three years in a row in 2012, 2013 and 2014 by Inspector Generals Of Police at the time.
By and large, the fraudulent recipient of Lagos State Governor’s award for Gallantry, Leadership and Service Excellence in 2011, 2012 and 2013 is far from being the poster boy of the Nigeria Police Force!
Withdrawing the honours will no doubt help deter men and officers of the Force from the willful inclination to do wrong, the deadening of conscience and recourse to condemnable impunity that makes them believe the uniform they wear keeps them safe and away from the long arm of justice.
Likewise, Silver Bird Group, – a Nigerian diversified multimedia company with holdings in Radio, Television, Real Estate, and Cinemas – ought to be perfecting plans to withdraw the 2018 HERO of the Year Award it conferred on Kyari. Especially as screenwriters are opportunistically following the story of how a celebrity cop fell into infamy to produce one of the most thrilling dirty cop movies to hit cinemas.
Also, the Nigerian Presidency must understand that silence is not always golden. Especially when the situation has to do with a lawbreaker being awarded the Presidential Medal for Courage in April 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari, as well as the ‘Future Merit Award’ by the President’s wife and First Lady, Aisha Buhari in 2018.
Perhaps all honours conferred on Kyari were done in good faith, does it make sense to cling to what has turned out to be a mistake because it was the right thing to do at a certain point in time?
