The suspended commander of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), DCP Abba Kyari has reportedly escaped death after being attacked by 190 angry inmates in kuje prison.
Abba Kyari Alleges Threat To Life
According to Premium Times, prison officials are considering moving Kyari from Kuje prison to the custody of the State Security Service (SSS), also known as the Department of State Services (DSS).
It was gathered that Kyari nearly got killed by aggrieved inmates, who accused him of insincerity in bribe-for-release deals when he was in active service.
The publication reported that the attack happened on May 4, months after Kyari, who is on trial for drug-related offences, was remanded.
A prison official said his attackers were about 190, and they are mostly in prison for drug offences.
The attackers claimed Kyari prosecuted them despite taking bribes from them. One of the sources, a state investigator and intelligence officer, described Kyari as a “dodgy criminal.”
Quoting the inmates, our sources said Mr Kyari was “eliminating smaller (drug) dealers to clear the field for Afam Ukatu,” a suspected billionaire drug baron allegedly behind N3 billion Tramadol deal linked to Mr Kyari.
“Inmates claimed that upon arrest, Abba Kyari demanded bribes to kill the case, then still prosecuted them,” a Kuje prison source who accessed the testimonies of the aggrieved inmates, said.
According to our sources, Mr Kyari was rescued by officials and has since been kept in an isolated cell “under heavy protection where no one sees him for fear of attack or poisoning.”
To ‘buy’ his safety, Mr Kyari had to pay each of the aggrieved inmates N200,000 ‘in initial settlement fees’ and then ‘procured DSTV subscription for cells to buy loyalty and peace,’ one source said.
Despite the ‘settlements’ the aggrieved inmates have continued to threaten Mr Kyari’s life, our sources said.
“Regardless of the level of protection, they vowed to get him,” a source said. “The inmates have given him an ultimatum to return all he extorted from them or be killed.”
“Relevant officials have assessed that he will be killed or badly injured if he continues to be remanded in Kuje.”
An official recommendation has therefore been made that Mr Kyari should be transferred out of Kuje to an SSS facility.
Meanwhile, a prison source said Kyari has his way in Kuje prison, alleging that the disgraced DCP bought the loyalty of officers.
“So far, he has every relevant officer on his payroll. They do his bidding, he sees his wife, and he has access to mobile devices and marabouts,” a source said.
KanyiDaily recalls that Abba Kyari is currently detained in prison amid his ongoing trial on an eight-count charge, bordering on conspiracy, obstruction, and dealing in cocaine, and other related offences.