Column No.6: Whatever happened to Abba Kyari?
Just the other day, my mind wandered to Abba Kyari. Not the late erstwhile Chief of Staff to erstwhile president Muhammadu Buhari…
Abba Kyari
Just the other day, my mind wandered to Abba Kyari. Not the late erstwhile Chief of Staff to erstwhile president Muhammadu Buhari, no. I mean the other arguably more famous one (or ‘infamous’, going by the extremely South-bound direction his career took). We all watched in collective national horror, jaws all over the floor, as news story after news story broke, each one more bizarre than the last, but all pointing towards grievous allegations. I say ‘allegations’ so we don’t get carried away, forgetting that the case of the former media darling is still in court, and the maxim that everyone is ‘innocent until proven guilty’.
Anyways, I honestly had not heard anything about Kyari or his case, so I did what every self-respecting Gen Z-identifying millennial would: I ran a Google search for news using his name as the key words. Voila! There were updates upon updates, with the most recent one being on the web pages of Daily Trust, your darling, trustworthy newspaper. ‘Super Cop: Frank Mba Hogs The Limelight As Abba Kyari Trial Continues’ it said, and you have to admit it’s quite a nifty, loaded headline. Of course I clicked on it, and read within the comparisons to Mba’s meteoric rise in the Nigeria Police Force to that of Kyari’s. For clarity, Mba was recently promoted to Deputy Inspector General, and we all know how our fellow Nigerians can get on social media. But I digress.
Kyari, currently in prison custody and awaiting trial, was suspended from the NPF after a dramatic indictment in a massive drug deal, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), as he also was, by the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the trial of the infamous cyber fraudster/Instagram influencer Ramon Abbas, or Hushpuppi as he’s more known. His super-fast rise to the top echelon of the police force was quite remarkable, as he cracked high-profile crimes and arrested the masterminds. He was soon styled as a ‘future IGP’, and after the case heightened, some groups even sprung up, campaigning for his innocence.
Kyari’s current status behind bars and awaiting trial is a far cry from a career that was studded with so many bright spots that even a diamond would give pause. His attention-grabbing work was aided by his team of officers, some of whom have been fingered in the on-going mess that continues to fester. Their exploits – thrilling Nigerians who have been bedevilled by bandits, armed robbers and kidnappers – inspired movies and TV series from both Kannywood and Nollywood. Heck, even this newspaper ran a weekly comic strip written and masterfully illustrated by Mustapha Bulama, directly inspired by the real-life pre-scandal Kyari.
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I, personally, am a bit shocked, and rather concerned that that a case of this great importance, is still lingering unfinished. Now, I’m not campaigning for lightning-fast resolution (God knows speed doesn’t necessarily mean quality in the legal field), but I believe it could have been concluded by now. Even if there is a political slant (I honestly don’t know if that’s the case or not) or whatever, it should not still be lingering. I personally was crushed by the news of the entire thing, as was many Nigerians across the nation, from all walks of life. I think we all deserve some closure, in the form of a conclusion to the entire circus. Is Kyari innocent? Is he guilty? Is there more to the case than meets the eye? Please, let us know, because all we have right now are conspiracy theories in all directions.
Bearing in mind that we Nigerians need another hero (Tina Turner’s classic hit song actually sounded in my ears as I typed that), I’m not too sure we will be appointing a new ‘Super Cop’ anytime soon. With a new Inspector-General in town – and with President Bolaji Ahmed Tinubu sporting full knowledge of the actual use of the APC broom – will the Kyari case get the precision and speedy resolution it deserves? Going by the body language of the new ‘lord of the manor’ nay ‘villa’, that broom will certainly not be used to sweep anything or anyone under the proverbial carpet, but rather, into the dustbin. After justice is properly served, of course.