25kg Cocaine Haul: Pressure On NDLEA To Parade Abba Kyari

Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Sunday, expressed dissatisfaction over what it claimed as the discriminatory practice of parade of suspects by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA insisting that the agency should either parade Abba Kyari or apologise to all those it had previously paraded.

HURIWA nevertheless insisted that the parade of suspects not convicted was unconstitutional.

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko said that the NDLEA recently arrested and paraded singers Zinoleesky and Mohbad after a midnight raid on their residence in Lagos.

“This was weeks after the Agency arrested fast-rising skit maker, De General, after a raid on his residence in Lagos.

“However, the NDLEA has refused to parade narcotics suspect, Abba Kyari, with the 25kg cocaine, $61,400 and other exhibits recovered from the Deputy Commissioner of Police.

According to HURIWA, the NDLEA is guilty of double standards until the security agents embarrass Kyari by parading him before the media as they do to other suspects or the agency apologise to all the suspects already paraded and then stop the unconstitutional practice which offends Section 36(5) of the Constitution.

“The NDLEA also said it had damning photo and video evidence to nail Kyari, the suspended head of the Intelligence Response Team, adding that he belonged to a drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline.

“HURIWA further thinks that it amounts to  double standards by the NDLEA officials who have refused to parade Abba Kyari two weeks after his indictment in drug trafficking related offences but who then quickly paraded the alleged drug dealers in Lagos minutes after their arrest.

“The NDLEA has constantly paraded suspected drug peddlers. Parading of suspects is in itself against the principle of law because of the presumption of innocence. However, HURIWA again calls on security agencies to stop parading suspects particularly when they are yet to be convicted. It is disappointing that despite several pleas made by us to the Brig-Gen Buba Marwa (retd) led NDLEA, the Agency just like all other law enforcement agencies continues to do the illegal practice of parading suspects who are yet to be determined as convicted by the competent courts of law which has the judicial powers of the Federation as enshrined in Section 6 of the Constitution.

“However, the NDLEA said it arrested and detained the serving Deputy Commissioner of police Abba Kyari over drugs related offences but Nigerians till date aren’t too sure if he was actually arrested, handcuffed or detained as we have been told because NDLEA has refused to parade Abba Kyari apparently because he is a sacred cow.

“The NDLEA must be transparent and allow the principles of fairness and equity to govern its operations. An Agency led by a respected leader must lead by example and not behave like the Nigeria Police Force that showed lack of professionalism in the handling of the Abba Kyari versus Hushpuppi fraud case.

“The police messed up the investigation and has delayed the extradition of Abba Kyari to the USA after he was declared wanted by the FBI. it is either NDLEA parades Abba kyari or they apologise and pay damages to all those they paraded previously because what is good for the goose is good for the gander.”

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