The suspended former Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari has pleaded with a Federal High Court in Abuja to not approve his extradition to the United States of America.
According to Kyari, the plan to send him to the US for prosecution by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation is not in the interest of justice. The former police head is an alleged accomplice to now notorious internet fraudster Ramon Abbas, also known as Hushuppi. He is currently in prison custody for drug related charges.
Abba Kyari added that his arrest had a “political undertone”. Furthermore, he claimed that the request to extradite him to was “directed to undermine the crackdown on various crime gangs by the Respondent in Nigeria and internationally”.
According to his younger brother, Mohammed, the allegations pending against him, were not extraditable offences. He told the court,
“I know as a fact that the specified offences are of a political character and were in fact made for the purpose of prosecuting and punishing the Respondent on account of his race, nationality and was not made in good faith nor in the interest of Justice.”
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Kyari explained to the court that he is a highly decorated senior police officer that was already carrying out a “sting investigation” into Hushpuppi, before he was framed up and arrested.
“The request for the extradition is not supported by any document or verifiable evidence. This request is directed to undermine the crackdown on various crime gangs by the Respondent in Nigeria and internationally and has political undertone.”
“The request is for purposes of persecuting or punishing the Respondent on account of his defence for the country.”
The Federal High Court in Abuja had fixed June 3 for the extradition proceedings initiated by the Government against Kyari.
