Hushpuppi: 31 Northern Lawyers Volunteer To Defend Abba Kyari Against FBI

A group of 31 lawyers from the Northern part of the country have volunteered to render free legal services to the embattled suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari.

KanyiDaily had reported how Abba Kyari who was indicted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in an investigation of alleged multi-million dollar fraud perpetrated by a suspected internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas, popularly called Hushpuppi.

Abba Kyari was said to have allegedly collected a bribe from Hushpuppi to jail and torture one of his associates, Kelly Chibuzor Vincent, after a dispute over a $1.1 million scam on a Qatari businessman.

Although Kyari has denied any wrongdoing, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba recommended his suspension to allow an independent investigation into the charges against him.

31 Northern Lawyers To Defend Abba Kyari

In a statement on Wednesday, a group of northern lawyers volunteered to render free legal services for the preservation of Kyari’s fundamental rights that might be potentially jeopardized by his alleged indictment by a court in the United States of America.

The spokesperson of the group, Sunusi Bappah Salisu said the volunteer lawyers were drawn across all the 19 northern states and religions, adding that the pro bono was in response to calls for support for Kyari by the Coalition of Northern Groups.

Salisu said they would critically review the procedures adopted by the FBI to get the US Court to indict Kyari on allegations of involvement in charges filed against Hushpuppi.

“We would raise questions involving the possibility of breaches to Kyari’s fundamental rights entrenched in Articles 6 and 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Right which essentially state that every individual shall have the right to liberty and to the security of his person and every individual shall have the right to have his cause heard.”

“Also, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence,” he added.

KanyiDaily had reported how Abba Kyari was lobbying the IGP, and threatening to expose other top police officers who have benefitted from his largesse, should he be handed over to the FBI and extradited.