‘Lacking depth’ Police commission rejects report, demands fresh probe

The report of the panel investigating the alleged connection between Abba Kyari, the suspended head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), and social media celebrity, Abbas Ramon, commonly known as Hushpuppi has been rejected for lacking depth.

The Standing Committee on Police Discipline and Appeals of the Police Service Commission (PSC) directed the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to set up a fresh committee to carry out a more thorough investigation on the matter and submit its report within two weeks. A member of the committee, who pleaded anonymity, told Channels Television via telephone conversation on Thursday that the recommendation is also in line with the advice by the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) that all loopholes in the matter be tightened.

“When the report on Abba Kyari was taken to the Police Service Commission, the Department of Police Discipline had to study it and make a recommendation to the standing committee,” he said.

“The standing committee is headed by a retired justice of the Supreme Court. The standing committee studied the report from the IGP. The advice that the IGP sought from the attorney general was also tendered.

“The standing committee considered all the reports of various submissions, from both the FBI, the internal investigation carried out by the police. So, the advice from the attorney general is that despite the fact that there is the prima-facie case against Abba Kyari, the evidence provided by the investigation panel is not enough to convict Abba Kyari in any court of law.

“So he advised that the case be further investigated because it is no use that both the PSC and any other body decide to announce punishment on Abba Kyari when there is no clear-cut evidence. There should be no doubt at all when you want to take him to court.”

The committee’s rejection comes months after Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, was suspended for alleged involvement in a $1.1 million internet fraud allegedly perpetrated by Hushpuppi and four others – Abdulrahman Juma, Vincent Chibuzo, Rukayat Fashola, and Bolatito Agbabiaka. The Federal Bureau of Investigation had alleged that Hushpuppi paid $20,600 to two bank accounts allegedly provided by Kyari on January 20, 2020.

Following the allegation, a four-man Special Investigation Panel headed by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigations Department, Joseph Egbunike, was set up to probe Kyari. It submitted a report to the IGP in December.

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