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The Movement for the Emancipation of Nigeria (MEN) has called for the immediate release of suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, urging the Federal Government to discontinue his prosecution.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its Comrade General, former Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, MEN described Kyari’s continued detention as “a grave injustice” in light of the recent wave of presidential pardons granted to convicted criminals.
The statement reads, “The Movement for the Emancipation of Nigeria (MEN) observes with deep concern the continued detention and prosecution of DCP Abba Kyari despite recent presidential pardons extended to convicted drug traffickers, fraudsters, kidnappers, and bandits, many of whom were arrested by his team in the line of duty.”
Naija News reported that President Bola Tinubu, last week Thursday, granted pardons to 175 persons, including late nationalist Herbert Macaulay, the late Major General Mamman Vatsa, and Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death for killing her husband.
The beneficiaries also included convicts jailed for homicide, fraud, and illegal mining.
MEN argued that the selective application of clemency “ridicules the principle of fairness” and effectively nullifies the moral and legal grounds for Kyari’s prosecution.
The group warned that continuing Kyari’s trial could discourage law enforcement officers from risking their lives in the fight against crime.
“The recent wave of presidential amnesties and pardons has effectively emptied the moral and legal basis for Kyari’s continued detention. His prosecution under such circumstances represents a double standard that undermines the integrity of Nigeria’s justice system,” the group stated.
MEN further described the trial as “institutional betrayal against a man who once risked his life in the service of national security and public order.”
The organisation appealed directly to President Tinubu and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to end Kyari’s ordeal.
“We therefore urge the President and the Attorney-General of the Federation to discontinue all charges against DCP Abba Kyari and secure his immediate release. Anything short of this will amount to a travesty of justice and a dangerous precedent,” MEN declared.
Kyari, a former head of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), was once celebrated as Nigeria’s “super cop” for his record of high-profile arrests.
He was arrested on February 14, 2022, after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) declared him wanted for allegedly conspiring to tamper with and traffic 21.35 kilograms of cocaine seized from suspected traffickers.
He has since pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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