Here I come again on the subject of Abba Kyari. I cannot stop writing about his case because of its peculiarities. An Igbo adage says, “He who is being talked about in positive note has something that he is doing well.” And so is Mr. Abba Kyari, the former head of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT).
For the avoidance of doubt, my interest in Abba Kyari did not start now. It predates his current travail. Before his current travail, I had written several syndicated articles in praise of his achievements and dedication to duty. The purpose was not just to commend him but to also motivate others in security services to be alive to their responsibilities. So, I would not cast him down now simply because he has a problem. We are all humans with our strengths and shortcomings. What made the super cop that he is – his skills, passion, patriotic zeal, dedication to duty, and experience, among others – are still there.
In fact, if we consider his accomplishments before he was suspended and the inherent risks associated with those feats, then the offence for which he was arrested would be considered insignificant. And if we undertake a comparative analysis of the rate of crime now and when Kyari was in charge of the police special squad, then the need to recall and reinstate him becomes more imperative. Many people especially those of us in Diaspora who value performance and dedication to duty are of the opinion that he should be pardoned and reinstated, more so as he still has something to offer the nation in the area of combating crime. After all, some people convicted of treasonable felony are sometimes given state pardon.
Many Nigerians are gravely worried about the cases of banditry and kidnapping that has metastasized to every nook and cranny of the country. My colleagues in Diaspora are regretting that they cannot come home this end of year season to re-unite with their families back home because of insecurity. And this portends grave danger for our dear country. Coming home would necessitate investing heavily on personal security. And even when then, you inadvertently expose your family to danger for when you return to your base, the bandits will come and abduct members of your family for ransom.
In my earlier essays, I deliberately avoided listing the high profile cases that were resolved by DCP Kyari for they are in the public domain. But in this piece and subsequent ones, I will try to highlight some of his landmark achievements and the litany of awards that he has garnered in the course of his duty that made him the most decorated police officer in Nigerian history. This perhaps may help to buttress my argument.
For instance, it was Abba Kyari who arrested the terrorist commander Umar Abdulmalik and eight others involved in the Nyanya terrorist bombing. The killers of the former Chief of Defense Staff Air Marshal Alex Badeh along Keffi-Gitata Kaduna road were arrested by Kyari. The arrest of Nigeria’s billionaire kidnap kingpin Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike alias Evans was effected by the Kyari and so was that of Henry Chibueze also known as the “Vampire” in Imo state. Kyari and his team ended the reign of terror of Zakari Yau, the notorious bandit terrorising Kogi and the North-central states of Nigeria. They also arrested the kidnappers of Mrs Godwin Emefiele, wife of the former CBN governor and the arrest of the abductors of Prof. (Mrs) Okonjo, mother of former Minister of Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. There is also the arrest of the Offa bank robbers in Kwara state, the most deadly bank robbery in Nigeria’s history that claimed the lives of about 31 people including nine police officers. He was also responsible for the arrest of the kidnappers of Turkish School girls in Ogun state and the arrest of those responsible for the kidnapping of the elder statesman Chief Olu Falae in Ondo state. Kyari led the operation that led to the release of the abducted Kankara School Children in Katsina state. He led the arrest of Abubakar Ahmadu alias Dabo and 30 others that kidnapped Dr. Mahmoud Abubakar former Chairman of UBEC and his daughter along Abuja-Kaduna expressway…
Indeed, when the Kyari’s era as the head of the IGP-IRT is juxtaposed with the current era of motley cases of unresolved kidnap cases that have made life unbearable to many in our country then the necessity of reviewing his case becomes clearer. Nigerians are going through hell at present. Most of the problems confronting the nation are traceable to insecurity. The people’s freedom of movement and association is constrained because bandits and kidnappers have taken over our highways. The implication of this is that productive activities are curtailed because of insecurity. There are acute food shortages in the country because farmers cannot go to farm because of bandits. Insecurity is a contributory factor to anger, hunger, poverty and frustration in the land. If insecurity is tackled with the engagement and deployment of dedicated and patriotic officers like Abba Kyari then we can be sure that crime will reduce to the barest minimum and economic activities will be revived.
I am speaking with conviction because I know that psychologically, people with Kyari’s mindset; people with the inclinations to bust crime are never criminals and that is why his case needs to be looked into dispassionately. Many believe and rightly so that he is a victim of circumstance and so he needs a second chance for the sake of the nation.
Hajia Mohammed, an actress, social activist, politician, writes from London, UK via [email protected]
