Pelumi Olajengbesi, the lawyer to the Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, (Sunday Igboho), has reacted to the suspension of Abba Kyari, Deputy Commissioner of Police, by the Nigeria Police Force, NPF.
He urged the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to make the trial of Kyari over alleged bribery open with full press access.
Olajengbesi made this known in a statement at the weekend titled, ‘Suspension of DCP Abba Kyari by Nigeria Police Force pending investigation by the special investigative panel commendable: A demand for transparency and matter to be conducted in an open panel with full press access’.
The statement read in part, “The Special Investigation Panel must undertake the task before them with a sense of duty and loyalty only to the truth. It must rid itself of bias considerations for, favourable or unfavourable disposition to DCP Kyari while equally availing him ample opportunity to make a representation of his defence against the allegations against him.
“The very image of the Nigeria Police Force, particularly its ethos and claims to be corruption-free is being examined by the watchful public at national and international levels. IGP Usman Alkali Baba thus has an uphill task to dutifully acquit himself in this matter and in doing so, help save the reputation of the Nigeria Police Force.
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“It’s, therefore, a demand in the interest of justice that the conduct of the investigations be transparent and open, with full press access. The NPF should know that Nigerians are struggling to trust the process and in view of this the Press must be allowed unfettered access to its proceedings for record and posterity sake, too.”
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, had linked Kyari to Hushpuppi during their investigation.
The FBI had alleged that Hushpuppi bribed Kyari to jail an errant gang member over a fraud deal worth millions of dollars.
Following the revelation, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, had recommended Kyari’s suspension pending the outcome of investigations.
But Kyari had since denied the allegations but admitted acting as a go-between the fraudster and a local tailor in which Hushpuppi allegedly made payments.
