I stand with Kyari even if allegation against him is true – Ahmad Isah

Human rights activist, Ahmad Isah says he supports embattled deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Abba Kyari even if the police officer is truly involved in an alleged international fraud case with Ramon Abbas, self-confessed international fraudster better known as Hushpuppi.

Isah, popularly called “Ordinary President” argues that the DCP should not go down for one mistake because he has done so much good. 

Kyari is currently suspended pending the outcome of an investigation by the Police Service Commission in respect of his indictment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. 

Hushpuppi had alleged that he bribed Kyari to arrest and jail “one of his rivals in Nigeria after a dispute over a $1.1 million scam on Qatari business people”.

But Kyari, whom the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has put an extradition request for, denied any wrongdoing. He said he never collected money from Hushpuppi.

Weighing in on the issue that has become a national discussion, Isah on his breakfast radio/television programme on 101.1 FM in Abuja on Tuesday, says the US should not teach Nigerians how to live their lives as they have it bad too in their country. 

“This thing wey Abba Kyari enter, many police officers dey celebrate, ineffective police officers. Some of them are gossip machines, some wey be wives, na men dem be, but dem be wives to their ogas,” the human rights activist reacted in Pidgin English.

“They are celebrating, they are quick to celebrate but let me tell you, whether you care to listen or not Abba Kyari is not going down by the grace of God. He has done too [much] good to go down because of one mistake, even if it is true.”

“America cannot tell us how to live our lives, America is not heaven. We have homeless people in America, we have jobless people in America, we have Indian hemp smokers in America, we have cocaine smokers in America, we have armed robbers in America, we have serial killers in America, what are they going to tell us, is America better than Africa if not for bad leadership?

“What do they have that we don’t have? We stand behind Abba Kyari, DCP Abba Kyari and God will vindicate him.

“One day this young man will become IGP, they are just envious of him because of his extraordinary performance, they can’t do half of what he is doing. He is too intelligent for their liking. He is a civil police officer, he is not pompous.”

Isah further conceded by virtue of the reputation Kyari had built and his position in the police force, he could have been tempted.  

“Yes, there is an allegation on him, no matter how bad e be, name wey you give you dog naim neighbours go call am. How many of Abba Kyari we get for Nigeria in the police. For you to hold that type of office, temptation abounds,” he said.

“Una know how many cases this man don uncover? Some police officers dey wonder how hin dey do am. Some say na juju, some say na magic. He is a modern police [officer], he is using technology.

“If they had arrested Abba Kyari in America, that is a different thing, you are telling us to send our own?”

In May, Isah was in the news after the BBC Africa Eye exposed how he assaulted a woman who appeared on his show.

The woman, who was accused of setting a young girl’s hair on fire over a witchcraft allegation, had feigned ignorance when Isah questioned her.

After several attempts to make her own up ended in futility, Isah slapped the defenceless woman in front of his audience. He however apologised for his action.