The National Council of Bishops and Imams has called for the immediate release and reinstatement of Abba Kyari, declaring it’s in the interest of national security.
The group stated this in Abuja in a press conference where they deplored the spate of insecurity in the country.
Bishop Lawrence Ngene, who addressed the media, said it’s very important for President Bola Tinubu to listen to the hearts of the people and act in the interest of the nation.
He said Kyari, who’s the deputy commissioner of police and head of the IGP Intelligent Response Team, took the fight against kidnapping and other crimes to them, which brought sanity to the country.
He said only Kyari knows the strategy and approach that could be adopted to end insecurity, which has become so pervasive and is ravaging the land.
He said, “Nigeria is faced with more security challenges today than ever in our history, which range from the Boko Haram insurgency, armed militancy, kidnapping, cattle rustling, illegal mining and mineral theft, smuggling, nomadic breeders and farmers crisis, and armed robbery across the country.
“Other security challenges facing the nation include armed militancy, oil theft, and illegal refining, amongst others.
“As concerned citizens of this great nation, we want to say boldly that the absence of Super Cop, DCP Abba Kyari, in Nigeria’s security architecture has brought Nigeria to this ugly security challenge.
“For this statement, some people may want to ask, Who is Abba Kyari in Nigeria Security Architecture?
“Our answers to this question are that within the period of Abba Kyari’s selfless services to the nation, lots of enemies of Nigeria or Nigeria’s deadliest criminal kingpins were arrested.
“I think this credit must go to DCP Abba Kyari and his team, whose dogged efforts led to the arrest of over 100 criminal kingpins, among whom were the arrest of Nigeria’s most notorious kidnap kingpin, billionaire kidnapper Chukwudumeme Onwaumadike Aka Evans in Lagos State and his gangmembers; the arrest of the killers of former Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) Air Marshal Alex Badeh ‘rtd’ along Keffi-Gitata Kaduna Road; and the arrest of the most wanted Boko-Haram Commander Umar Abdulmalik and eight (8) of his terrorist gang members.
Some other high-profile arrests were the arrest of twenty-two (22) Boko-Haram terrorist gang members responsible for the kidnapping of the Chibok School Girls in 2014 and also responsible for a series of suicide bombings, several attacks, and ambushs against security agents in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa States; the capture of the most deadly kidnapper in the history of Nigeria, Henry Chibueze Aka “Vampire” in Owerri, Imo State, and his gangmembers, under prosecution; and the arrest of the Deadly Offa Bank robbers that invaded Offa Town, Kwara State, and robbed five commercial banks. The gang also murdered over thirty-one (31) innocent Nigerians, making it the deadliest bank robbery in the history of Nigeria. The arrest of Boko Haram terrorist commanders who bombed the Nya Nya and Kuje areas of Abuja in 2015, where many innocent citizens died, The arrest of Urgan Guarilla and his group in Port-Harcourt ended pipeline bombings by the Niger Delta Avengers group. Arrest of the Killers of Colonel Yunusa in Kaduna, a serving Colonel in the Nigerian Army; Arrest of Niger Delta Militants who came to blow up the 3rd main land bridge in Lagos in 2016 and recovered over 100 explosives; Arrest of Godogodo, the most notorious armed robber in the Southwest and the most wanted armed robber in Nigeria for 14 years. On his arrest by Kyari and his team in 2013, Godogodo confessed to the killing of over 500 innocent Nigerians and over 100 security agents. 52 Ak47 rifles were recovered from Godogodo and his gang.
“Also, he saw to the arrest of kidnappers who kidnapped a serving Assistant Comptroller of Customs in Port Harcourt; the arrest of a syndicate of kidnappers, armed bandits, and their sponsors in Zamfara State after the gang had kidnapped the twin sisters before their wedding; and the arrest of deadly kidnappers responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Mr. John Iheanacho, a staff member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and President of Eastern Zone Investment Cooperative Society Ltd. in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. These are a few cases out of thousands of notable kidnappers, armed robbers, assassins, terrorists, and other criminals and groups arrested by Abba Kyari and his team.
“These numerous efforts in fighting criminals in Nigeria have attracted lots of awards and recognitions to him.”
He, however, said, “It is a well-known fact in Nigeria that when you fight corruption, it fights you back with all your strengths and all kinds of conspiracies to bring you down.
“This brings us to the incident on March 7, 2022, when Abba Kyari and six others were arraigned by the NDLEA on charges bordering on alleged tempering with cocaine recovered by the Police IRT from drug suspects Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus, which the Police IRT arrested by themselves in Enugu Airport on January 19, 2022, and voluntarily transferred to the NDLEA on January 25, 2022.
“However, Abba Kyari and four others, who are police officers as well, pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them by the anti-narcotics agency. They insist they didn’t temper with any of the exhibits they recovered from the drug criminals they arrested by themselves and transferred to NDLEA. And this allegation and clear setup have kept Abba Kyari and his team away from society for 24 months. These allegations are completely bailable, as clearly stated by the Nigerian law, but a few vindictive people are fighting desperately for Kyari not to get bail.
“Consequently, we are made bold to say again that the absence of Abba Kyari and his team from the Nigerian security architecture has brought Nigeria to these ugly security challenges, which we are facing today.
“As concerned citizens of Nigeria, we appeal to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, members of the national assembly, the judiciary, and all relevant security officers to urgently look into the case of Abba Kyari and his team, whose presence in society will put an end to all manners of insecurity challenges in the country, called Nigeria,” Ngene said.
