The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has raised an alarm over what it describes as a “coordinated campaign of calumny” and deliberate misinformation orchestrated by handlers of suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari.
Kyari is currently facing trial for drug trafficking offences. In a statement released on Wednesday, HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, asserted that recent reports attempting to indict officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) are “total fabrications” designed to subvert justice.
HURIWA’s investigation, reportedly backed by official court records, suggests that the narrative being pushed by Kyari’s camp contradicts the sworn testimony of convicted traffickers Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne.
According to the rights group, the convicts denied any collusion with the NDLEA during their 2022 arrest at Enugu airport. Instead, they alleged they were coerced by Kyari’s team while in custody to frame the anti-narcotics agency.
“The ‘video confession’ currently being circulated was scripted, with Kyari’s men actively dictating what the suspects should say while recording,” Onwubiko stated. “It is pathetic that a high-ranking officer would resort to such low-level blackmail. This is a clear attempt to distract the public from the gravity of the drug trafficking charges.”
The association reminded the public of the $61,400 bribe allegedly handed over by Kyari to an NDLEA undercover agent, an event captured on video and admitted as evidence in court. HURIWA contends this cash was the proceeds from the sale of cocaine seized from the very traffickers now being used as “pawns.”
To bolster their claims, HURIWA released a sampler of court-admitted transcripts detailing a conversation between Kyari and an NDLEA agent:
Abba Kyari: “Yes, they (the Cartel) will reveal to me those that are conveying it…Snapp their pictures and send them to us. So, we already know their goods, picture and the clothes they’re wearing… automatically the team will just be waiting.”
NDLEA Agent: “But are your boys inside the airport or outside?”
Abba Kyari: “Yes, yes, some are outside while some are inside. They will just allow them to finish everything and arrest them the moment they come out.”
The “Addis Ababa” Connection
HURIWA pointed to the testimony of convict Chibunna Patrick Umeibe, who stated that a cartel member took his photo in Ethiopia to facilitate his “arrest” by Kyari’s team in Nigeria.
“There’s no doubt from the court records that the pictures of the convicts were taken by the cartel members at the Addis Ababa airport and sent to Abba Kyari,” the statement read. “This is the only reason his officers were able to pick only the two couriers out of the multitude of people at the airport’s car park.”
HURIWA urged the Nigerian judiciary to remain undeterred by “subterranean moves” to blackmail the prosecution. The group also cautioned the media against amplifying unverified claims that seek to shield alleged drug kingpins from accountability.
“The U.S. government and the global community are watching this case closely,” Onwubiko warned. “You cannot ‘spin’ your way out of a forensic sting operation.”
