The Minister of Police Affairs, Mr Muhammad Dingyadi, has said thag the report of DIG Joseph Egbunike-led committee to investigate allegations against the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari has been forwarded to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami for legal advice.
It was gathered that the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba on August 26, received the report from the committee, which probed the involvement of Kyari on the illicit activities of Ramon Abbas aka Hushpuppi.
Hushpuppi was arrested by men of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was charged to court in the United States. He has since confessed to fraud.
The FBI had earlier revealed how Kyari allegedly collaborated with Hushpuppi to jail one of the latter’s associates, after a dispute over a $1.1 million scam on Qatari businesspeople.
However, after a court order arrest and extradition of Kyari to the US, he (Kyari) the allegation, claiming that his “hands are clean”.
Speaking on Tuesday during an interview with Channels Television, Dingyadi said after seeking Malami’s opinion, the report will be submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari for final consideration.
The minister said the police will also consult the ministry of foreign affairs.
“The issue of Abba Kyari has become in public domain, and I think by now, everybody has heard that the police, in their very wisdom and very usual way of becoming very transparent and being fair to all, have set up a committee to investigate all these allegations,” he said.
“And we have also reported that the committee has submitted the report to the IGP, and we have submitted this report and recommendations to the AGF for legal opinion.
“Thereafter, we will take it to Mr President for final consideration. So, you can see that this matter is a local matter here; it also has some international connotations. So, we have to do some due diligence to ensure that we do the right thing.
“There has to be some consultation with the ministry of foreign affairs and ministry of justice, before final decision is taken.
“What is important is that Nigerians should know that the police management is up and doing, and they have done what they are supposed to do. I hope people will wait and see what action is going to be taken on this matter.”
He also clarified the role of the Police Service Commission (PSC) on the probe of Kyari.
“The investigation is supposed to be done by the police, because he is their staff. We have informed the Police Service Commission, and they have directed that the officer be suspended from duty, pending the outcome of the investigation,” he added.
“By the time we finish this thing, we’ll refer what is needed to be referred to the Police Service Commission for final action. So, I think it is the police who have the responsibility to investigate.”
