DCP Abba Kyari: The OC. Sars With A Difference -By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

This title might sound bizarre and paradoxical in view of the current situation in Nigeria. This is certainly not the best of time to eulogize any police officer in Nigeria what with the #ENDSARS protest that is spreading like hurricane wind across the nation. The general notion is that the police in Nigeria are corrupt. To the average Nigerian, the police force is a symbol of corruption, extortion and human rights violation yet they seem unmindful of the fact that whatever happens in the force is a reflection of the values to which the society attach to moral ethics for most often, the people are the ones that corrupt them by omission and commission. No doubt the police like every other government agency and institution in Nigeria are steeped in corruption. But every cloud has its silver lining as it is often said. As there are bad police officers, there are good and conscientious officers too. It is on the strength of that I wish to comment on DCP. Abba Kyari who has always stand out among the rest as a quintessential police officer. Although, it is not my style to comment on the individual but when an individual becomes an issue on account of his role in the society, it is worthy to be a topic for public discourse.

On a personal note, I have interacted with a good number of police officers and I can unequivocally state that only very few are like DCP. Abba Kyari in terms of passion and dedication to duty. And I am not alone in this view; I have heard and read many reviews about his exemplary conduct. Many who have encountered him can attest to the fact that he is an officer with a difference and his commitment to his duty and ethics of public service has not escaped the attention of the police high command that has recognized his contributions and has continued to prepare him for future higher responsibilities.

Clearly, among the officers and men of the police force DCP. Abba Kyari is an archetype of a police officer, the super cop and the conscientious officer who epitomizes what an officer of the law should be. And for his dedication to duty, he has numerous awards local and international in his kitty. Those who have encountered him cannot help but admire the humanity – his humility, empathy and frank genial disposition – in him.

It is on this note that I find the report by one Mr. Azeez Mojeed against DCP Abba Kyari very disturbing. In a petition filed in the newly constituted Panel of Inquiry And restitution For Victims of SARS set up the Lagos State Government he had alleged among other things that he was arrested, detained and extorted to the tune of forty-one million Naira and charged to court in 2014 by SARS when DCP Abba Kyari was in charge while not stating the crime for which he was arraigned nor the sources of the money that was alleged extorted from him. If he was charged to court, it therefore means that officers of SARS took legal means to enforce the law. Indeed, the tone of the petition smirks of one desperate for vengeance. Why did it take Mr. Azeez Mojeed six years to speak up? Why did he have to wait until now that sentiment about the police is frosty to bring up the case?

I am not by any means trying to exonerate or speak for DCP Abba Kyari but I must advise the complainant to apply caution. I am also not saying that Mr. Abba Kyari is a saint, far from it. A case in court should not be discussed in the public sphere. Taking a case to court and again going to the media for public trial is subjudice and ill-advised. I wish Mr. Azzez is not taking advantage of the current situation and the frosty relationship with police to get even and tarnish the image of Mr. Abba Kyari who is known to execute his duties punctiliously. DCP Abba Kyari is a conscientious officer the well-meaning people who know the rot in our system cannot stop talking about his integrity and lofty deeds. It is therefore worrisome to me to hear of this not too palatable allegation against his person.

If he (DCP Abba Kyari) is corrupt he would not have been able to accomplish the many high profile arrests that he has made so far. No officer in the history of the police force in Nigeria has been able to burst the number of high profile cases that he has done. If he was an extortionist, he would have collected huge sums of money from the many kidnappers and billionaires that he arrested and let them off the hook. But because he put his job and the nation first, he never compromised.

While he commanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Lagos, he made remarkable strides in crime bursting – armed robbery and other ancillary crimes reduced and on the strength of that, he was promoted and assigned higher responsibility. He carried out his duties without the usual braggadocio and impunity associated with officers commanding a special squad. There were no records of human right violation, extortion or extra-judicial killings. The only people that had nightmares were the armed robbers and the criminals in Lagos that he battled headlong.

However, while I one can vouch for the integrity of DCP Abba Kyari, one cannot do the same for those under his command. It may be impossible to say anything about the excesses of the officers and men under him. If those working under him while he held sway as the officer in charge of SARS in Lagos have ruffled the likes of Mr. Azeez Mojeed, it is expected that he draw the attention of Mr. Abba Kyari to it or seek legal redress in court rather than wait for a time like this when the entire police force is undergoing public trial to file his petition. This smacks of crass opportunism to many.

Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

hajiahadizamohammed@gmail.com

An actress, social activist, politician

London, UK