INDICTMENT OF DCP ABBA KYARI: THE TRAVESTY OF A NIGERIAN HERO
By Hamza N Dantani Esq
Piqued by the recent imbroglio which permeated the suspension and media trial of DCP Abba Kyari, I have had to peruse through these two lines of the Nigerian National Anthem, The labour of our heroes past/Shall never be in vain with the hope that same may likely act as a compass while sailing through the travesty of this Nigerian hero.
Without prejudice to the legal furore that has trailed the indictment of the Super Cop by the FBI and the warrant of arrest issued by the District Court of California, it is a well acceptable fact that DCP Abba Kyari has built a formidable reputation as a courageous police officer whose sterling reputation and dedication to the national safety of the people of Nigeria is unrivalled.
This celebrated Super Cop, unarguably is the most effective nemesis of high profile criminals and evasive kidnappers. He also doubles as the most celebrated cop in the Nigeria Police Force. DCP Abba Kyari and his team have severally risked life and limb to ensure the safety of Nigerians and to make people sleep at night with both eyes closed.
Time will fail me to describe in graphic details the latitude of fortitude that have been brought about by the attitude of such a man like DCP Abba Kyari. Indeed how so quick people forget the selfless efforts and labours of heroes past.
The words of a renowned author is quite pungent in the circumstance: “when history is asleep, it is memory that wakes it up, and when memory itself falls into a stupor, we invoke remembrance to kick it into active consciousness”.
For the enlightenment of those who either forget to remember or remember to forget, as one who has been privileged to sit at the table with DCP Abba Kyari, I can unequivocally attest to the fact that he is an ample-minded, active and energetic man saturated with a great sense of humility, loyalty, transparency and accountability.
Though it appears from a distance that the Super Cop has soiled his garment, however a periscopic appraisal of the whole saga will reveal nothing more than an illusory of crucifixion and the hurried attempt to damage the reputation of people of his caliber who are obviously susceptible to criticism.
From a stand point of reasonableness, the suspension of DCP Abba Kyari on mere allegations without concrete and solid facts is a sacrilege of the most primitive kind, an affront to any human being with even the minutest sense of decency and propriety. In a sane and serious clime, the likes of DCP Abba Kyari are treated with honour and respect and not sent to the slaughter based on mere unproven allegations without foundation.
While this hullabaloo and media trial unfolds, I am obligated to entreat that the need to be very circumspect and to exercise great care in convicting an accused person is one of the main signposts of our criminal jurisprudence and it is captured in the aphorism that “it is better for ten guilty people to be set free than for one innocent person to be convicted.”
One must not also forget the doctrine of presumption of innocence which is the bedrock of our criminal jurisprudence enshrined in Section 36 (5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Can we rightly say that there is a prima facie case against this Super Cop or is the present saga a “fall from grace” for him as being presently peddled in some quarters? Men and women of sterling integrity have always been under siege in Nigeria and this is another opportunity for Nigeria to remember the labours of its hero.
