Hushpuppi Scandal: IGP receives panel report on Abba Kyari

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has received the report of the panel set up to investigate the bribery allegation against the embattled Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari.

The report was submitted to the IGP by the chairman of the SIP, DIG Joseph Egbunike, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, on Thursday, August 26, 2021.

Frank Mba, the police spokesman made this known in a statement titled ‘IG receives panel report on DCP Abba Kyari.’

Abba Kyari and Hushpuppi (BBC) Pulse Nigeria

Mba said the panel commenced investigations on August 2, “and the report submitted is an outcome of a painstaking, transparent and exhaustive investigative process.”

The statement reads in part, “The IGP, who commended the panel for the work done, stated that the essence of the probe was to carry out discrete investigations into the allegation levied against the officer to enable the Force leadership be appropriately guided in its decision-making processes.

“The IGP assured that a careful and expeditious review of the recommendations would be undertaken by the Force Management Team and thereafter, forwarded to appropriate quarters for necessary action(s). He reiterated as always, the commitment of the Force to justice for all.”

It would be recalled that in July, the FBI indicted Kyari in a scandal linking him to a popular internet fraudster, Abbas Ramon, better known as Hushpuppi, who confessed to have bribed the police officer to arrest one of his associates in an alleged $1.1m fraud committed against a Qatari businessman.

The agency said Hushpuppi paid $20,600 into a bank account provided by Kyari.

Following the allegations, the Nigerian Police authorities stripped the embattled police officer of his position as the Head of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and replaced him with DCP Tunji Disu.