*Nigeria鈥檚 National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has declared suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari wanted as the alleged 鈥榩rincipal actor鈥� in a 25kilograms Cocaine deal, accusing him of breaking the law, aiding and abetting drug traffickers in the West African country

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Following an investigation and his subsequent failure to appear for interrogation, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has declared suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari wanted as the purported 鈥減rincipal actor鈥� in a 25kilograms illegal international drug deal.

绿帽献妻 reports Mr. Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA, disclosed this development at a media briefing Monday, February 14, 2022, in Abuja, FCT.

The anti-narcotics regulatory agency said investigation had revealed that DCP Kyari was a member of an international drug syndicate, which operated especially the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illegal drug pipeline, and other continents of the world.

Recall that prior to his recent suspension over links with the recently convicted cyber fraudster, Hushpuppi, in the United States (US), Kyari had served in the Nigeria Police as the Commander of Intelligence Response Team (IRT) at the Force Intelligence Bureau of the NPF.

The NDLEA noted that it declared the suspended Police officer wanted after all efforts at making him to honour formal invitations for his official interrogation had failed.

The regulatory agency, however, decried a situation in which those who are supposed to support current efforts at limiting the tide of illicit drug trafficking and substance abuse in Nigeria are themselves neck-deep in the social menace.

Mr. Babafemi at the briefing stated: 鈥淭here is no better way to start this press briefing than to remind us about the enormity of the drug problem Nigeria has on its hand, and the imperative of all well-meaning Nigerians to play a positive role in curbing the illicit drug menace.

鈥淓ven before the damning findings of the 2018 National Drug Use and Health Survey, Nigeria鈥檚 drug problem was getting close to epidemic proportion.

鈥淎nd if anything, the arrests and seizures by NDLEA in the past 12 months is an indication that the country鈥檚 drug problem was grossly underestimated before President Muhammadu Buhari鈥檚 resolve to strengthen the NDLEA and the subsequent launch of offensive action by the Agency to clean the society of the menace.鈥�

Complicit law enforcement agents in drug trafficking

The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy also said: 鈥淎nd in just 12 months, even the most cynical of Nigerians now agree that the country is really in a drug quagmire and therefore, appreciates the relentless efforts of NDLEA operatives.

鈥淯nfortunately, some law enforcement agents who should be partners in the pursuit of the President鈥檚 mandate are at the forefront of breaking the law, as they aid and abet drug trafficking in the country.

Ramon Abbas Hushpuppi and Abba Kyari

鈥淭oday, we are forced to declare one of such law enforcement agents wanted in the person of suspended DCP Abba Kyari, the erstwhile Commander of Intelligence Response Team (IRT) at the Force Intelligence Bureau of the Nigerian Police Force.鈥�

According to the regulator, 鈥渨ith the intelligence at our disposal, the Agency believes strongly that DCP Kyari is a member of a drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline, and he needs to answer questions that crop up in an ongoing drug case, in which he is the principal actor.

鈥淗is failure to cooperate forced the hand of the Agency, and that is the reason for this press briefing.鈥�

Details of Kyari鈥檚 illicit Cocaine deal, by NDLEA

The NDLEA further stated that suspended DCP Kyari had initiated a call to one of its officers Friday, January 21, 2022.

鈥淲hen 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鈥檃t service.

鈥淗e appeared at the agreed venue of the meeting with the officer and went straight to the crux of the matter.

鈥淭his was it: His team had intercepted and arrested some traffickers that came into the country from Ethiopia with, according to him, 25kg of cocaine.

鈥淗e 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.鈥�

Babafemi said: 鈥淚n 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.

鈥淏y 11: 05 a.m. on Monday, January 24, after the Agency gave the officer the greenlight to play along, he and Kyari began a WhatsApp call for the rest of the day. The officer conveyed 鈥榯heir鈥� willingness to play the game.

鈥淎t this point, Kyari disclosed that the 15kg (already taken out) was shared between the informants that provided information for the seizure and himself and his men of the IRT of the Nigerian Police.

鈥淎ccording to him, the informants were given 7kg while his team took 8kg which was already sold.鈥�

The regulatory agency further related: 鈥淗e then, offered to pay the NDLEA team (that is the officer and the FCT commander) by selling, on their behalf, half of the remaining 10kg, thereby further reducing the original cocaine for the prosecution to just 5kg.

鈥淎t N7million per kilogram, the proceeds from the 5kg would amount to N35million, at the exchange rate of N570 per Dollar being the black market rate for the day, January 24, 2022.

鈥淚n effect, he would be delivering $61, 400 to the NDLEA team. He put pressure on our officer to wrap up the arrangement with the commander of the FCT Command to take custody of the drug and suspects from his men who were on the ground in Abuja.

鈥淎t the time, he was speaking from Lagos, where he allegedly travelled for private business.

鈥淭he next day January 25, Kyari offered to send his younger brother to deliver the payment while his men deliver the suspects, but our officer turned down the suggestion, insisting he would rather deal with him in person, and was therefore, prepared to wait for him to return from Lagos.

鈥淎nd by 5: 23 p.m., Kyari was in Abuja and met with the officer at the same rendezvous where they had the first meeting.鈥�

According to NDLEA, 鈥渋n their discussion, he disclosed how his team received the information from a double-crosser who betrayed the traffickers to him, showing a sordid connection between law enforcement agents and the drug underworld; he narrated how acting on the tip-off, his team departed Abuja to Enugu and arrested the traffickers, removed part of the consignment on his instruction and replaced same with dummies.

鈥淗e also indicated how to identify the remnant of the original cocaine that would be delivered to NDLEA, five original packages marked with red dots. The reason for this was to avoid the dummies being subjected to test. He forwarded a picture of the marked original cocaine package.

鈥淎ccording to the plan, once the 5kg cocaine has been tested in the presence of the suspects and confirmed positive, there would be no need to test the remaining ones, being dummies.

鈥淗e also brought with him the money from the sale of the 5kg share of the NDLEA team, a total of $61, 400. Our officer, however, preferred to take the money inside his car. Well, the car was wired with sound and video recorders.鈥�

As regards the relevant channels of communication duly followed in the demand for Kyari without any result thus far, the NDLEA said it could not continue to keep other suspects in the case indefinitely while the principal suspect fails to honour official invitation.

Babafemi said: 鈥淣DLEA has the mandate to take custody of suspects and consignments of drugs seized by other arms of law enforcement.

鈥淎nd 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.

鈥淒CP Abba Kyari was invited by NDLEA for debriefing on Thursday February 10 through two main channels because there is a whole lot of questions begging for answers.鈥�

According to NDLEA, 鈥渢he 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鈥檛 responded.

鈥淲e are a law-abiding agency of 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.鈥�

The Director of Media and Advocacy stated: 鈥淗aving 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.鈥�

The NDLEA said that it is not unaware of threats to the lives of its officers involved in the case, assuring that it would do everything to protect its officers in this regard.

鈥淲e are not unaware of threats to the lives of NDLEA officers involved in this investigation, even as we continue to do our best to protect our officers and men in the line of duty.

鈥淲e are making this strong statement to those contemplating harmful action against NDLEA officers.

鈥淭hey would only succeed in compounding their problems in the event of the murder of or harm to officers and men of NDLEA,鈥� said he.

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