The Super Policeman Vs. The Super Conman: Let’s stop jumping the gun

The trending news this past week is DCP Abba Kyari’s indictment by an American court following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). As the news that the Nigeria’s “super cop” is wanted in connection with a super scam probe filtered in, very few waited for the details, much less a trial and […]

The trending news this past week is DCP Abba Kyari’s indictment by an American court following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). As the news that the Nigeria’s “super cop” is wanted in connection with a super scam probe filtered in, very few waited for the details, much less a trial and judgment by a competent body seized of all the facts.  For the overwhelming majority, at least on social media, the legal question of guilty or not guilty turned into an incredibly divisive issue. For one bloc, Kyari is a superstar being framed by his enemies. For the other bloc, he is a villain whose nemesis has finally landed. Those in the middle are few and far between.

Two diametrically opposed Nigerians can be found: one on Facebook and the other on Twitter. On Facebook, more popular in the North, hero images of the celebrity cop and lists of his achievements were widely shared. Backers fell into one or more of three categories: some claimed that Abba Kyari was being set up by one of the criminal enterprise that he has become famous for busting; some peddled conspiracy theories that he was being targeted because he is a Muslim from the North; while others argued that even if the allegations against Kyari were true, he shouldn’t be “sacrificed” because his achievements far outweigh his crime.

A completely different image dominated Twitter, more popular in the South and on which critics of the Buhari administration hold sway. Here, Abba Kyari is not only guilty as charged but also much worse: a fraudster in uniform and a merciless serial killer. Previous allegations were excavated and shared, and he was mocked with photoshops, memes and hashtags. Some might have been moved by a genuine belief in his culpability, but many must have been driven by (perhaps unconscious) prejudice against northerners, Muslims and policemen.

While Nigerians on social media divided into their camps, few digested the allegations against Kyari and his explanation. The indictment accuses him of using the aura and resources of his office to aid and abet a $1.1m fraud and of receiving part of the proceeds. Ramon Abbas (aka Hushpuppi) alleged in the course of his own legal travails that he had paid Kyari more than N8m to arrest a syndicate member with whom he had fallen out. The indictment is accompanied by alleged text messages, call logs and voice notes between Nigeria’s celebrity detective and Nigeria’s celebrity deceiver.

In a terse statement on Facebook, Kyari acknowledged transacting with Hushpuppi and admitted arresting the said rival. But it was a case of what in law is called “confession and avoidance”: acknowledging a fact while denying its illegal presentation. He claimed to have arrested the rival upon a “distress” call from Hushpuppi, and that he only received N300,000 from Hushpuppi as the cost of some traditional clothing he helped him make. Hushpuppi is, by his own admission a fraudster who can’t be taken by his word. He built a career on lying, deceiving and cheating, so his testimony even on oath must be treated with a trailer-load of salt.

On the other hand, Kyari’s story leaves burning questions: How did Hushpuppi get Kyari’s personal mobile number? Is Kyari’s personal mobile a distress call line for Nigerians? Is Kyari’s unit in charge of those kinds of calls and cases? Why was Kyari sending photos of the arrested gang member and reporting to Hushpuppi? What is Kyari’s explanation of his messages and calls with Hushpuppi, including one in which Hushpuppi promised to “take care of the team also after they picked him [the rival] up”, to which Kyari allegedly responded “Yes ooo”? How did the matter terminate and where is the official record?

Why did Kyari, as a deputy commissioner of police, personally handle Hushpuppi’s complaint? How did Hushpuppi, who was calling from outside Nigeria, see Kyari’s traditional clothing to admire it or wasn’t when they met in Dubai as alleged? Why didn’t Kyari simply introduce Hushpuppi to the tailor instead of serving as a middleman? Who is the tailor and are there other suspicious transactions in the tailor’s bank account? What is the truth of the reports that Kyari owns many posh cars and multimillion naira properties in Maiduguri?

For those saying Kyari is being targeted by the United States, how exactly is a deputy commissioner of police doing his job (according to his fans) a problem for America? Does the US need a Hushpuppi to get Kyari? Isn’t it easier to invite Kyari for some event or award in America (which I believe he would rush to attend) and then take him out? For those saying he is being targeted by Hushpuppi, why would Hushpuppi target a policeman who (by the policeman’s story) helped save his family and had no role in arresting him? Why will Hushpuppi pursue a personal friend who arranged for traditional clothes for him?

For those saying Kyari is being targeted because he is a Muslim northerner, when and how exactly did Kyari become a representative of Islam or the North? How about the fact that Hushpuppi is himself a Muslim, the IGP that suspended Kyari is a Muslim northerner and the officer appointed to replace Kyari too is a Muslim? If someone wants to target a northern Muslim police officer, why not go after the IGP, who is by far a bigger fish, or one of his assistants, deputies or even a commissioner? If the FBI wants to bring down a Muslim northerner, why not go after the Sultan of Sokoto, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi or President Muhammadu Buhari? In other words, what is Kyari in the grand scheme of things for these conspiracies to hold?

I think both camps — Kyari’s defenders and his accusers — are wrong. It is not open to ordinary citizens on social media to be judge and jury in an active legal process. We do not have the facts with which to draw an informed conclusion. Our ignorant theories will only make it more difficult for the authorities to do their job. We have been urged by our beliefs to stand firmly for justice and to not be swayed by love or hatred. As Muslims, we have been commanded by the Qur’an to investigate allegations so that we do not make ignorant conclusions that we would come to regret. In this case, the investigating authorities are doing their job. They are the FBI, the American court and the committee set up by the Inspector General of Police to investigate the matter. Let’s stop jumping the gun.

I don’t know if Kyari is guilty or innocent. I pray and hope he is innocent, though he clearly has a case to answer. I, for one, trust the American justice system — at least relative to Nigeria’s. Just like I urged Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Igboho to stop running and face justice if they know that they are innocent, nor should Abba Kyari run from justice. If he Kyari is truly innocent, he will be cleared. As a police officer, Kyari and his supporters should be at the forefront of advocating for a transparent investigation and prosecution. Someone who is widely saluted to have brought some of the most infamous criminals to justice should never run away from the principles he serves.