By Our Reporter
Clerics from both the Christian and Islamic faith under the umbrella of -The National Clerics of Bishops and Imams, have joined the call for the immediate release and reinstatement of Abba Kyari, for what they described as “the interest of national security”
The group stated this at a Press Conference in Abuja, during the weekend, where they deplored the spate of insecurity in the country.
While addressing the media, the Spokesman of the group, Bishop Lawrence Ngene, called on President Bola Tinubu to listen to the cry of the people and act in the interest of the nation.
“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 the society will contribute immensely to end all forms of security challenges in the country,” Ngene said.
He recalled that Kyari, who was the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and head of the IGP Intelligent Response Team (IRT) took the fight against kidnapping and other crimes to their enclaves, which he said, brought sanity to the country.
According to him, only Kyari knows the strategy and approach that could be adopted to end insecurity which has become so pervasive and is ravaging all parts of the country.
Bishop Ngene said: “Nigeria is presently faced with more security challenges today than ever in our history, which ranges from the Boko Haram insurgency, armed militancy, kidnapping, cattle rustling, illegal mining and mineral theft, smuggling, nomadic breeders, and farmers crisis, armed robbery across the country.
“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.”
While explaining some of the outstanding achievements of DCP Kyari in the past, Bishop Ngene said: “Within the period of Abba Kyari’s selfless services to the nation, lots of enemies of Nigeria or Nigerian 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; amongst whom were arrest of Nigeria’s most notorious kidnap kingpin billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwaumadike, AkA Evans in Lagos State and his gang members; arrest of the killers of former Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), Air Marshal Alex Badeh, (rtd) along Keffi-Gitata Kaduna Road, and arrest of the most wanted Boko-Haram Commander Umar Abdulmalik and 8 of his terrorists gang members and many others.”
He however said: “it is a well known fact in Nigeria that when you fight corruption, it fights you back with all strengths and all kinds of conspiracies to bring you down.
“This brings us to the incident on March 7, 2022, when Abba Kyari and 6 others were arraigned by the NDLEA on charges bordering on alleged tempering with cocaine recovered by the Police IRT from Drugs Suspects Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus which Police IRT arrested by themselves in Enugu Airport on 19/1/2022 and voluntarily transferred to NDLEA on 25/1/2022.
“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 did’nt temper with any of the Exhibits they recovered from the drug criminals they arrested by themselves and transferred to NDLEA.
“This allegation and clear set-up up has kept Abba Kyari and his team away from the society for 24 months.
“These allegations are completely bailable as clearly stated by the Nigerian law but some few vindictive people are fighting desperately for Kyari not to get bail,” the cleric said.
