Presidential Pardon: Tinubu Told To Release Top Police Officer Convicted for Drugs Deals
- The Movement for the Emancipation of Nigeria (MEN) has demanded the release of suspended police officer Abba Kyari
- MEN said keeping Kyari in custody despite recent presidential pardons for convicted drug traffickers and other offenders undermines justice and fairness
- The group urged President Tinubu and Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi to discontinue Kyari’s trial
The Movement for the Emancipation of Nigeria (MEN) has demanded the immediate release of suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, describing his continued detention as “a grave injustice.”
Recall that Abba Kyari, once celebrated as Nigeria’s “super cop” for his high-profile arrests, was suspended in 2022.
The arrest came after he was declared wanted by the NDLEA.
He was accused of conspiring to traffic c0caine and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The case has since remained in court, with many Nigerians divided over his prosecution, Punch reported.
However, in a statement released on Tuesday, October 14, by its Comrade General, former Minister of Sports Solomon Dalung, MEN said the ongoing prosecution of Kyari, despite recent presidential pardons granted to convicted drug traffickers and other offenders, was “an affront to justice.”
“The Movement for the Emancipation of Nigeria observes with deep concern the continued detention and prosecution of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari despite recent presidential pardons extended to convicted drug traffickers, fraudsters, kidnappers, and bandits, many of whom were arrested by his team,” the statement read.
Kyari’s trial and prefsidential clemency
Last week, President Bola Tinubu granted presidential pardons to 175 persons, including the late nationalist Herbert Macaulay, the late Major General Mamman Vatsa, and Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death for killing her husband.
The pardons followed the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
“A double standard that mocks justice”
MEN contended that the selective nature of the clemency taints the moral underpinning of the prosecution of Kyari, Vanguard reported.
“The recent wave of presidential amnesties and pardons has effectively emptied the moral and legal basis for Kyari’s continued detention,” the statement said.
His prosecution under such circumstances is a double standard which defiles the credibility of Nigeria's judicial system.
"The group added that the case was "an outright case of institutional betrayal against a man who once risked his life in the service of national security and public order."
Appeal to Tinubu and Attorney-General
MEN urged President Tinubu and the Attorney-General to immediately discontinue all charges against Kyari and secure his release.
“Justice demands consistency, and equity demands that mercy must not be reserved for the guilty while punishment is sustained against the righteous,” the group stated.
Presidential pardon: Family of slain husband speaks
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the family of the late Bilyaminu Bello has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s decision to grant a presidential pardon to Maryam Sanda, who was convicted and sentenced to death for murdering her husband in 2017.
Recall that Sanda was convicted in 2020 for stabbing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, to death at their Abuja home on November 19, 2017.
Source: Legit.ng
