O. Adejo
Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has set August 29 as the date for judgment in a suit seeking to extradite a suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Abba Kyari, to the United States of America for trial on charges of internet fraud.
After hearing arguments for and against the suit from the parties involved, the judge set the date.
Kyari, whose arguments were presented by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, Nureni Jimoh, asked the court to deny the extradition request because his client had committed no offence worthy of the Federal Government turning him over to the United States.
The suspended police officer told the court that he had written to the Attorney General of the Federation, (AGF) and the Inspector General of Police, (IGP), more than a year before his arrest, informing them that he had opened a channel of communication with a suspected internet fraudster, Ramon Abass.
Kyari explained in the two letters presented in court that the goal was to reassure the suspected fraudster and entice him to come to Nigeria, where an ambush had already been planned for a sting operation by his strike force.
Furthermore, he informed the court that American authorities once commended him for his dedication to the fight against internet fraud.
He also told the court that the wire fraud charge brought against him by the American government is not recognized as an offence under the Extradition Act and thus should not be used to extradite him.
However, the Federal Government, represented by Mr Pius Akuta, urged the court to dismiss the defendant’s arguments.
He stated that the American government has met the conditions precedent for extradition by filing the charge against Kyari and a formal request that he is brought to America to establish his guilt or innocence in his indictment for internet fraud.
Court sets date to decide Abba Kyari’s extradition fate