By Edward Adamidenyo, Abuja Bureau Chief
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba has ordered the immediate closure of all satellite units of the Intelligence Response Team and Special Tactical Squad across the country.
This comes a day after the arrest of the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari, and others by the Police and their transfer to authorities of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency over alleged drug dealings.
Following the development, sources informed The Trumpet that the IGP has ordered a discreet investigation into activities of all Police Commanders heading the various units with a view to unraveling the bad eggs for appropriate disciplinary action.
The directive of the Inspector General of Police to shut down all the satellite units of the IRT and STS is said to be a precursor to the entire overhaul of Police operations aimed at redeeming the sagging image of the force.
The IGP who is known to be a no nonsense officer is said to be miffed that the Abba Kyari saga is badly affecting his effort to reposition the Police.
It’s a Sad Day for Nigeria – Security Expert
Reacting to the arrest of Kyari, David okoror, Chief Security Strategist at International Institute for Security and Governance Studies described the development as “a very sad day for Nigeria”. He said the breaking news on all major news network around the globe is that the Nigeria Police Chief who is touted to the world as the Super Cop is after all a Drug Baron and an International fraudster.
Okoror observed that what this does is that it feeds into the International media narrative that Nigeria is a nation of drug barons and fraudsters where not even the security or law enforcement are clean or can be trusted.
He said the image of the Nigeria Police is further dented and dragged in the mud as an institution that courts and habours high profile criminals. “Remember the NPF was already being accused of shielding Mr Abba Kyari from extradition to answer FBI indictment on another high profile criminality, through very shoddy investigations”.
The loser in all this, Okoror noted, is Nigeria and the ordinary law abiding citizen who would forever be considered as a suspect or even criminal once they set foot outside the shores of this country. At every airport, schools and even in ordinary business transactions, this albatross will go with every Nigerian that carries the Green Passport.
Recall that Kyari was declared wanted by the NDLEA after he refused to submit himself for questioning . The embattled super cop was relieved of his position as Commander of the IRT and placed on suspension from the Police over his ties to a disgraced fraudster, Ramon Olorunwa Abass alias, Hushpuppi.
While Kyari was yet to clear his name, he got into fresh trouble after he attempted to bribe an official of the NDLEA with $61,000 to facilitate the release of Cocaine seized from two drug barons. He is currently in the custody of the NDLEA and will face prosecution on conclusion of investigations.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, had at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, disclosed how Kyari belonged to a drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline.
He further revealed that Kyari contacted one of its officers in Abuja and struck a deal to secure the release of a total of 25kg seized cocaine.
Babafemi said, “After the Agency gave the officer the green light to play along, he and Kyari began a WhatsApp call for the rest of the day. The officer conveyed “their” willingness to play the game.”
Recall that the Police Service Commission, last week deferred decision on the case involving suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba A. Kyari, who until his suspension by the Commission was the Officer in charge of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence
Response Team (IRT).
Head, Press and Public Relations, Mr. Ikechukwu Ani in a statement said Kyari had earlier been indicted by a Report of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States and was also investigated by a special Panel set up by the Inspector General of Police.
The Report he said had earlier been forwarded to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for legal advice by the Inspector General of Police.
The Commission also directed that further necessary investigation should take half the time it took the Police to conduct the original investigation and that the investigation should be carried out by a different panel.
The Commission took the decision at the continuation of its 14th Plenary Meeting which ended in Abuja on Thursday, February 11th 2022 and which was chaired by Alhaji Musiliu Smith, a retired Inspector General of Police and Chairman of the Commission.
