The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has alerted Nigerian public, and the international community to an alleged coordinated campaign of calumny and deliberate misinformation by the handlers of the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, who is currently facing trial for drug trafficking offences.
The group, yesterday, urged the judiciary to remain undeterred by these subterranean moves to blackmail the prosecution.
It also urged the media to be professional and verify claims against official court transcripts before amplifying narratives that seek to shield alleged drug kingpins from accountability.
HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, maintained that the facts of the crime remain constant, and no amount of sponsored falsehood will wish away the evidence of the $61,400 bribe or the documented betrayal of public trust.
He said: “Following an in-depth investigation into recent sponsored reports circulating on social media, which claim that two convicted drug traffickers have indicted officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of complicity in the case, HURIWA can authoritatively confirm that these reports are a total fabrication and a clumsy attempt to subvert the course of justice.
“Our findings, backed by official court records and witness statements, revealed a starkly different reality from the narrative being pushed by Kyari’s camp.”
“In their official witness statements, the convicted traffickers, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, denied any contact or collusion with NDLEA officers at the Enugu airport in January 2022.
“The convicts confessed that their pictures and travel details were actually sent to Abba Kyari. Despite being on suspension at the time over another criminal case for which the United States (U.S.) government is still seeking his extradition to the U.S. for trial, Kyari dispatched a team from Abuja to Enugu to intercept the traffickers for his own ends.
“The convicts have stated on record that while in Kyari’s custody, they were forced under duress to indict the NDLEA. The “video confession” currently being circulated was scripted, with Kyari’s men actively dictating what the suspects should say while recording,” he said.
HURIWA reminded the public that no amount of digital spin can erase the overwhelming evidence already admitted as exhibits in court.
“The world has seen the video of Abba Kyari handing over $61,400 to an NDLEA undercover agent. This cash was established to be the proceeds from the sale of part of the cocaine Kyari’s team seized from the very same convicts they are now trying to use as pawns.
“It is pathetic that a high-ranking officer would resort to such low-level blackmail. This is a clear attempt to distract the public from the gravity of the drug trafficking charges. The U.S. government and the global community are watching this case closely. You cannot ‘spin’ your way out of a forensic sting operation.
“For the benefit of the public, the transcript of the conversation between Abba Kyari and an NDLEA undercover agent, already admitted as exhibit in court, clearly confirmed the transactional relationship and conspiracy between Kyari and members of the drug trafficking cartel.
“There’s therefore no doubt from the court records that the pictures of the convicts were taken by the cartel members at the Addis Ababa airport and sent to Abba Kyari to enable him to identify the couriers.
“This is the only reason his officers were able to pick only the two couriers out of the multitude of people at the airport’s car park,” the group added.
