February 14, (THEWILL) – The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Monday, released video evidence of the suspended head of Police Intelligence Responsive Team (IRT), DCP Abba Kyari, allegedly offering bribe to an NDLEA agent to facilitate the release of some seized illicit drugs.
Spokesperson of the Agency, Femi Babafemi revealed the video footage during a press briefing at its headquarters in Abuja on Monday.
THEWILL reports that Kyari, who is also facing a possible extradition to the United States of America, after being declared wanted by the FBI for alleged fraud, was mounting pressure on the NDLEA agent to release the illicit drugs to him.
Kyari, who has since been declared wanted by the agency on Monday, has been alleged to be a member of a transnational drug ring.
According to a statement by the NDLEA, “The saga started on Friday, January 21, 2022, when DCP Kyari initiated a call to one of the NDLEA officers in Abuja at 2:12 pm. When the officer returned the call two minutes later, Kyari informed him he was coming to see him, to discuss an operational matter after the Juma’at service.
“He appeared at the agreed venue of the meeting with the officer and went straight to the crux of the matter. This was it: His team had intercepted and arrested some traffickers that came into the country from Ethiopia with, according to him, 25kg of cocaine.
“He proposed a drug deal, whereby he and his team are to take 15kg of the cocaine and leave 10kg for the prosecution of the suspects arrested with the illicit drug in Enugu. In the meantime, the purloined cocaine will be replaced with a dummy worth 15kg.
“He asked the NDLEA officer to persuade men of the FCT Command, to play along as well.
“By 11: 05 am on Monday, January 24, after the Agency gave the officer the green light to play along, he and Kyari began a WhatsApp call for the rest of the day. The officer conveyed “their” willingness to play the game.
“At this point, Kyari disclosed that the 15kg (already taken out) was shared between the informants that provided information for the seizure and he and his men of the IRT of the Nigerian Police. According to him, the informants were given 7kg, while his team took 8kg, which was already sold.
“He then offered to pay the NDLEA team (that is the officer and the FCT commander) by selling, on their behalf, half of the remaining 10kg, thereby further reducing the original cocaine for the prosecution to just 5kg.
“At N7m per kilogram, the proceed from the 5kg would amount to N35m, at the exchange rate of N570 per dollar being the black market rate for the day, January 24, 2022. In effect, he would be delivering $61,400 to the NDLEA team.”
The statement further disclosed that Kyari arrived Abuja and met with the agent.
“He also brought with him the money from the sale of the 5kg share of the NDLEA team, a total of $61,400. Our officer, however, preferred to take the money inside his car. Well, the car was wired with sound and video recorders. And the moment was documented, part of which I will play for you at the end of this Briefing”, the agency narrated.
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