Lessons from the Abba Kyari saga

By Akpo Ometan

The intervention of the Office of the Inspector General of Police and the Police Service Commission to the effect that embattled police officer, Mr. Abba Kyari be suspended from office while investigations continue into allegations of his involvement with the Advanced Fee Fraud suspect, Hushpuppi is being greeted by many as a timely and welcome development.

Given the facts of the case as they have appeared in the public domain, it is very clear that this was almost inevitably going to be one of the steps to be taken. But that is not all as given the penchant of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to go the extra length to defend and protect those seen to be loyal to it, it is equally very clear that the adminstration has very clearly been constrained to take the present line of action. Which is why then it may be too early to say that the matter is over.

So what are the lessons to be drawn from the saga? First that pressure at the national and international level does bring some results. Two, that despite the administration’s seeming refusal to hold itself accountable to public opinion as seen for example in the Isa Pantami saga, it can still be pushed to do the right thing. But as has been noted already, there is still a lot of water flowing over and below the bridge. So we wait.

And that reminds me, where is the man at the centre of the Pension fraud scam, Abdulrashid Maina?

President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria