A Federal High court sitting in Abuja has today struck out the application filed by the federal government seeking to extradite the super Cop, Abba Kari to the United States to face a trial in an alleged fraud-related case. Justice Inyang Ekwo, the trial judge hinged his decision on the premise that Kyari was already facing a trial in Nigeria filled by the Attorney general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA against him. The Judge submitted that section 3 of Nigerian Extradition Law forbids the country from extraditing someone whose undergoing a trial in the country until the case is concluded against them.
He, therefore, slammed that the suit was brought in a bad faith and therefore stand dismissed.
Abba Kyari was alleged to have aided one, Ramon Abbas, AKA Hushpuppy in fraud-related cases of $1.1 million committed against a Qatari national in the United Arab Emirates, UAE that the United States demanded his extradition through the federal government.
In February 2021, the US District Court for the Central District of California directed the FBI to arrest Kyari wherever they found him; Kyari denied the allegations in a Facebook post which he later deleted.
The federal government, through the Office of the AGF, filed an application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/249/2022, demanding the extradition of the police officer, Kyari.
The letter titled, “Application for the Extradition of Abba Kyari to the U.S.,” was dated March 1 and filed on March 2.
Kyari who was the head of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team, IRT, where he worked as a dogged officer earned him accolades and a standing ovation from the National Assembly, a rear honor in the country.
Kyari and six other accomplices are currently facing a separate trial on allegations bordering on drug trafficking offenses before Justice Emeka Nwite, a sister court.