A Human rights lawyer Abdul Mahmud said ethnic politics might influence application of the law on the extradition of the suspended Police Chief Abba Kyari, making reference to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami who has the power to determine the enforcement of the treaty.
Mahmud made this kown over a interview on the legal and political circumstances surrounding the warrant of arrest issued on Kyari by a US court.
According to him, the legal powers to determine whether Kyari would be extradited to the US to faces charges levelled against him by the FBI constitutionally lies in the hands of the AGF who is expected to be guided by law.
“If this government, for all we know it has become terribly provincial, parochial, ethno-centric, my sense is that ethnic politics might guide law in the exercise of the AGF’s legal powers,” Mahmud said.
The US government wants Kyari to face charges for allegedly receiving N8 million from a confessed fraudster Ramon Abbass popularly known as Hushpuppi, who has been in FBI’s custody.
The human rights lawyer told The ICIR that it was hard to say whether Nigerians should expect a substantial report from the Special Investigative Panel set up by the Inspector General of Police to ‘review’ the allegations against Kyari.
He noted that three years ago, non-governmental organisations had made a report on alleged corruption under Kyari led Internal Response Team (IRT), but it was ignored until the FBI’s request for extradition.
Mahmud further noted that the initial reaction of the Police authority did not show a ‘fundamental’ intent to properly address the allegations levelled against Kyari.
“The initial reaction of the Nigerian police force itself did not show any intent to address some of the fundamental allegations against Abba Kyari.
“It did not follow the inter-jurisdictional framework of making its interdicted officer answerable to the Interpol, instead it responded by saying that it conducted an internal review,” Mahmud said.
On the new leadership of the IRT, Mahmud advised that officials of the IRT that have been accused of human rights abuse should be removed from the team.
It had been reported that following the suspension of Kyari by the Police Service Commission, Tunji Disu was appointed as the new head of the IRT.
“I think as commander of the IRT, he should start on a good slate, men and women of the IRT who have been fingered for their roles in heinous fundamental rights of citizens of our country should be shown their way out of the IRT,” he said.
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