“ABBAS (Hushpuppi) appears to have first interacted with (DCP, Abba) KYARI in September 2019, when KYARI traveled to the U.A.E.
The conversation indicated that ABBAS sent a car and driver to drive KYARI during that trip…
Later in September, after KYARI sent ABBAS an article that discussed him arresting alleged kidnappers, ABBAS wrote, in part, to KYARI, ‘Am really happy to be ur boy,’ and later, ‘I promise to be a good boy to u sir.’ ” -FBI Files
For very personal reasons, I’ll not join the lynch mob that is gathering around Compol Abba Kyari. And the reason is simple: I’m his fan. He is one policeman I have come to admire over the years – though from a distant.
I followed his exploits as the top huncho of the then dreaded, now despised and disbanded, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the IRT, and, lately, the fight against ‘businessmen’ herders, bandits and insurgents.
He even visited my Lagos home in 2015, when my wife was kidnapped, and we exchanged numbers, and remained in contact for a little while, he never really took my calls. After a while, he wouldn’t send be his usual WhatsApp messages or reply to mine. Though I later got another number of his, the situation did not change. Curiously, as the US FBI documents revealed, I might have well been keeping one of his long discarded numbers.
Luckily, I didn’t stop admiring nor following him, especially as we’re Facebook friends.
The other reason, I’m hoping to death that Kyari pulls out of this FBI mess unstained is: I feel we live in a country where we have no heroes. Or, better still, where we relish in destroying the nearest things to heroes that we have.
We soon dig up one or two wrongs they have done and, pronto, we throw out the baby with the birth water! And if we don’t see enough murk to rake up abou them, we fall back on their tribe, region, religion, political convictions, or even sexual preferences. It doesn’t matter if it is Wole Soyinka, Lamido Sanusi, Matthew Kukah, Obasanjo, Tunde Bakare, Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Goodluck Jonathan, Alex Ekwueme, Audu Ogbe, Solomon Lar, Sule Lamido, Peter Obi, Isaac Boro, Benjamin Adekunle, Gen. Shuwa, Murtala Mohammed, Bola Tinubu, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Bukola Saraki, Oloye Saraki, Ike Ekweremadu, David Mark, Iyorcha Ayu, Moses Adasu, Alamieyesigha, James Ibori, Aliko Dangote, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Mike Adenuga, Mbazulike Amaechi, Abubakar Rimi, Lateef Jakande, our otherwise revered traditional rulers, religious leaders, or whoever. We seem to derive a special orgasm from demystifying them.
We forget that we’re all humans and, therefore, not infallible.
Even when we concede that we’re all susceptible to trespassing, from time to time, we somehow expect out ‘heroes’ to be some sort of superhumans. And we hardly forgive their own indiscretions.
So, what we have is people bending over backwards to cover up their shortcomings. Living double lives. And hoping in vain that they never get caught out.
While not declaring Kyari guilty as charged, I dare say Kyari is just as dirty (or as clean) as every other senior police officer out there – from the very top to the rungs. And they’re not dirtier than their ilk in the other security agencies. Let us not even bring the politicians into the mix! And the non-government actors? We’re even worse!
Of course, Kyari, had had it coming, especially, in recent times. Even though the two incidents might not be related, the moment I saw that Facebook post of the feared cop at the burial of Obi Cubana’s mom, I knew trouble was on the horizon for Kyari. It was a classical case of the Yoruba analogy of the person enemies are scheming to roast, now, unwittingly, rubbing palm oil on himself.
Yes! Much as we may want to nationalise, justify and defend whatever transpired at that Oba burial, in our sober and more discerning moments, we must have conceded that there was something not too proper about it all. Therefore, it wasn’t in that circle that we would want to see our, arguably, most decorated crime burster.
But that’s a discussion for another day.
What is undeniable, however, is that, of late, certain events have continually been chipping something off Kyari’s celebrated pedigree. Either it’s at the EndSARS panel in Lagos, from the onslaught against IPOB and Eastern Security Network (ESN), out of strange tales from kidnappers, or sponsored rumours from envious colleagues, there was always a behind-the-scene narrative to present Kyari as the opposite of what the rest of us hold dear about him. This Hushpuppi mess sure takes the cake.
And, even as I write this, I’m battling between my head and my heart as to what should be our government’s reaction to it all. Should we send him to the US to clear his name? What would that move say about our own sovereignty? But, on the other hand, I ask myself: what justice does a cockroach really expect to get from a jury of fouls?
Then, we can also suspend him until the case is concluded, that is the proper thing to do in a civilised setup. But I also know that we live in a country where opponents throw up spurious allegations just to get you to resign or step aside, pending the conclusion of investigation. But that ‘stepping aside’ is often the whole aim of the allegation. Your transducers, most often, just want to get you out of the way to pave way for a preferred candidate (or assuage certain vested interests).
Often, as soon as you step aside, and are replaced (even if temporarily), all the allegations suddenly fizzle out. Everyone sheathes his sword and investigation abruptly stops, because there was never a crime ab initio. If you’re in doubt, ask Justice Walter Onnoghen or his late colleague, Justice Ngwuta. You can also ask Ibrahim Magu, or even Deputy Governor Jude Agbaso of Imo State, or Eze Madumere that came after him.
Of course, that is not saying Kyari is innocent. I’m just pained that annother hero material is going down an often travelled route.
How I wish that I’d wake up from this trance to discover it was just a nightmare all along! Or that Kyari’s numbers were hacked!
But then, there is also the little detail about sending photos of someone in your cell to Hushpuppi to confirm what?
It just seems there’s no hushing this Hushpuppi loud whispers.
