A federal high court sitting in Abuja, has dismissed an application the Federal Government filed for permission to extradite the detained Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Abba Kyari, to the United States of America to face trial over his alleged involvement with an internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi.
Delivering judgement, on Monday, Justice Inyang Ekwo, held that the extradition application the Federal government filed through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, was incompetent and bereft of merit.
READ ALSO: Truck explosion near RCCG Camp cause tension
Justice Ekwo held that Mr Malami, being the Chief Law Officer of the country, ought to be aware that the Extradition Act, which is clear 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 wondered why the AGF approached the court with the extradition application when he was equally the one that issued FIAT to the National Drug Law Enforcement, NDLEA, to prosecute DCP Kyari on drug-related charges.
Justice Ekwo dismissed the extradition request for being incompetent.
On April 29, 2021, a grand jury filed an indictment against Kyari with the approval of the US district court for the Central District of California, after which a warrant was issued for his arrest.
In July 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) indicted Kyari in a $1.1 million fraud involving Hushpuppi, the self-confessed international fraudster.
In August 2021, Usman Baba, inspector-general of police, received the report of a panel set up to probe the allegation against the officer.