Abba Kyari
BreakingHighlightTrending Story

Breaking: Court stops DCP Abba Kyari’s  extradition to U.S.

480

Reprieve came for the detained Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, as a  Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday dismissed the Federal Government’s application seeking to extradite him to the United States of America to face trial over his alleged involvement in the millions of dollars wire fraud by internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas, a k.a Hushpuppi.

Persecondnews recalls that Kyari was indicted by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation in the Hushpuppi’s case.

In a judgment delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo on Monday, the court held that the extradition application the government filed through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN) was “incompetent and bereft of merit”.

Ekwo held that Malami, being the Chief Law Officer of the country, ought to be aware that the Extradition Act, forbids the surrendering of a defendant that is already facing trial before a competent court in the country.

The court wondered why the AGF approached the court with the extradition application when he had already issued a FIAT to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to prosecute Kyari on drug-related charges.

“The AGF could not say that he was not aware of the pending proceeding against the defendant which was entered against him by the NDLEA,” Ekwo ruled.

He insisted that  Kyari, having been docked before a court of competent jurisdiction in the country, “shall not be surrendered until such case has been discharged either by his conviction or acquittal”.

The court held that the extradition request was incompetent and deserved to be dismissed.

On June 3, 2022, the court had reserved the case for judgment after the addresses of counsel to the government, Mr Pius Akutah, and Kyari’s, Mr Nureni Jimoh (SAN).

Kyari had challenged the legal competence of the extradition request against him.

Kyari, who is currently in prison custody for drug related charges, told the court that contrary to the allegation against him, he had some months before Hushpuppi was arrested, sent a letter to both the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police, notifying them that he had opened a channel of communication with the suspected internet fraudster in furtherance of an ongoing investigation.

Kyari is wanted in the U.S. to stand trial for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft.

A grand jury had in April 29, 2021, filed an indictment against him with the approval of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, after which a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Hushpuppi had earlier pleaded guilty to the alleged $1.1million fraud charge against him.

Meanwhile, the United States Attorney’s Office for Central District of California, Los Angeles, has fixed September 21, 2022 sentence date for Hushpuppi.

The court’s Director of Media Relations, Thom Mrozek, announced this last week.

Leave a comment

Related Articles

Siblings Feud Over Mother’s Mysterious Death, Secret Burial as Court Orders Exhumation

A simmering family dispute in Akure, Ondo State, regarding the death and...

Caution, Strategy Key to Successful AMCON Wind-Down, Says Finance Minister

Mr. Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the...

Gateway Games: Osaretin Shocks Ukpeseraye in 200m Heat, Sets Up Thrilling Semi-Final Showdown

    By Samuel Akpan live in Abeokuta Teenage cycling sensation Osaretin...

Bayelsa Maintains Lead, Delta Surges to Second Position at Gateway Games

LBayelsa State is still dominating the 22nd National Sports Festival, the Gateway...

Kanu’s Trial: Judge Warns Lawyer Over Social Media, FG Opposes Live Streaming

The Federal Government has formally written to the court, objecting to the...

Just in: Court Admits Judgment on Military Raid of Kanu’s Home as Evidence

The Federal High Court in Abuja has accepted three judgments as evidence,...

Gateway Games: Osun State Female Football Team Stomps Benue 6-1, Seals Semi-Final Spot

By Samuel Akpan reporting from Ikenne The Osun State female football team...

Gateway Games: Ogun State Swimmer Tobiloba Clinches Historic Gold

By Samuel Akpan in Ikenne, Ogun Omolola Tobiloba Akinsanmi has etched her...

Gateway Games Day 4 : FCT, Akwa Ibom Shine in Ayo Singles

By Samuel Akpan reporting from Ikenne centre The Ayo competition at the...

Gateway Games Day 3: Bayelsa Leads Pack with 6 Gold Medals

By Samuel Akpan live in Abeokuta As the 22nd National Sports Festival...

Insurgency: Boko Haram Has Moles Among Politicians, Military, Alleges Borno Gov. Zulum 

The protracted war against insurgency in Nigeria has taken a disturbing turn,...

Drug Abuse Crisis Alarming, Gripping Nigerian Youth, Small Doctor Cries Out

Worried by the alarming rate of drug abuse among young Nigerians, street-pop...

Gateway Games: NSC to Name and Shame 10 More States Involved in Doping – Olopade

By Samuel Akpan Live in Abeokuta Following Persecondnews’ report on Akwa-Ibom, the...

EFCC Hands Over 753 Forfeited Properties Linked to Emefiele to FG

The 753 housing units in the Abuja housing estate of the former...

External Auditors Cite Legal Constraints for Senate Committee Absence, NNPCL, NAPIMS Not Implicated

The external auditors for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and...

No Need to Panic: Ogun Govt Responds to Tanker Blast at Gateway Games

    Aftermath of a diesel tanker explosion near the Alake Sports...

Food Insecurity: NNPC Foundation Begins 6,000 Farmers’ Training in Ilora, Oyo State

By Samuel Akpan Live in Abeokuta In a groundbreaking initiative aimed at...

CBN Maintains Status Quo: Interest Rate Remains at 27.50%

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Monetary Policy Committee has retained the...

Just In: Police Stray Bullet Claims Life of WASSCE Student in Ibadan

A student heading to take the West African Senior School Certificate Examination...

Just In: TUC Protests Workers’ Poor Welfare at Federal Finance Ministry

Members of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria on Tuesday shut...