The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alkali Baba says the Nigerian government is yet to receive a formal request from any country for the extradition of Abba Kyari, over an alleged involvement in international fraud, four months after.
An American court had in July, 2021, reportedly issued an arrest warrant on Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), for his alleged role in the case of alleged international fraud involving five other persons, including the jailed Abbas Ramon (Hushpuppi) in a United States Central District in California.
But speaking at a media briefing in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the IGP said “I have not heard about it formally, but I have read from the social media that there was an extradition request.
“I have not seen it; I have not had it formally”
He, however, added that “when this issue of Kyari started, we acted by constituting a panel to look at the allegations.”
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Abba Kyari was the head of the IGP Intelligence Response Team (IRT). He was immediately placed on suspension; while a special investigation team headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Egbunike, was constituted to investigate the issue. The IGP said his office only recently received the report of the investigation team.
“We just received the report of the investigation and we are working with our legal team to have him answer some of the issues raised by the panel” he said
Also speaking on the deployment of 350,000 security team for the November 6 Anambra governorship election, the IGP admitted that “the massive deployment can affect turnout” adding however, that “but it is necessary”
He urged the electorate to come out to exercise their franchise, adding that the police were deploying both kinetic and non- kinetic measures, including issuing jingles and talking to stakeholders to assure them of safety.
The police boss asserted that most officers that would be assigned to polling stations would be unarmed as they would be involved in checking vote rigging and illegal campaign at venues.
Asked if the mass deployment would not be counterproductive, he said: “As for the massive deployment, yes, it has its advantage, and it has its disadvantage, and that is why knowing that it has the disadvantage of may be militarising the electoral process, we try to engage in public enlightenment; engagement with the stakeholders to know that our presence is to police the situation in two ways.
“While we are asking people to come out and vote, another group or other subversive elements are saying ‘don’t come. If you come, we’ll do this, we’ll do that.’ So, there must be some level of assurance that we would give to these people to come out and that requires massive deployment of officers and men who would also ensure that the subversive elements do not take over the process.
“While we have other elements that would police the election, we don’t even deploy them with arms. Those we are deploying to polling stations to ensure orderliness and checking of electoral malpractices, like vote buying, campaigning in the place and so forth, this does not even require carrying of arms.
“But you also need to put officers on standby, on patrol that would check the would-be persons that can carry arms against the state.
“We are trying to educate and enlighten people that our presence is for the benefit of everybody that our presence is to ensure that they come out and exercise their franchise of voting who they want.
“And that is the essence of the jingles we are doing, the essence of going to do communities, stakeholders, meetings, talking to their religious leaders and so forth.
“I think it has its advantage; it has its disadvantage, but we try to as much as possible ensure that it is for the advantage of everybody that the massive deployment should take place.”
The IGP disclosed that it is currently prosecuting over 20,000 cases at various levels in court and blamed the slow process of criminal justice system for the delays.
“The accused persons have lots of advantages, as the law requests that he who alleges must prove that the accused is guilty of the offence”
Also speaking on police welfare, IGP Baba said the police have set up machinery to float an insurance firm to insure its properties as part of measures to enhance the welfare of its personnel.
