From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Some senior lawyers have expressed diverse opinions on the effect of the DCP Abba Kyari’s action on the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) drug war.
In separate interviews with Daily Sun, they commended the efforts of the agency for bringing the scandal to the public domain but were divided as to whether Nigerians will continue to have confidence in the anti-narcotic agency.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Oba Maduabuchi, said the incident was not sufficient to erode the confidence Nigerians have for the agency, particularly given the courage and patriotism the matter was brought to the fore.
‘Let me start by saying that it is wrong for the Inspector General of Police in the first place to have an Intelligence Response Team (IRT),’ he stated.
‘So what about the other police officers? Are they an unintelligent response team?
‘If there are a group of people you bring and say, this are IRT, what about the rest of the policemen? The problem with the Nigerian Police is when you called people “Special”, that is how we had a Special Anti Robbery Squad and it turned up to be something that nearly destroyed Nigeria.
‘Now you have this one IRT. What is difficult for the IGP to call a DIG or AIG to say, investigate a particular case? Why should the IGP have a standing team of people working for him? How do you reconcile that? It does not make sense for you to say IRT. The Nigeria Police Force either has intelligence or they don’t have. They either respond or they don’t respond.
‘Now NDLEA cannot claim we’re not working in cahoots with Abba Kyari. It’s not possible. When Kyari was calling people, he called a particular number and made a definite request.
‘So, how can NDLEA say their boys were not complicit? I don’t like it when they say Akanu Ibam Airport. It’s all over the airports in the country. So, NDLEA should own up. There is a failure on their part and failure on the part of the police as far as this cocaine saga is concerned.
‘Having said that, it does not mean that we don’t have confidence in the NDLEA. It was even patriotic enough to bring this to the fore. They could have cover it up. The details they went into setting up this sting operation that brought Kyari out, shows that the top officials were not aware of what was happening below.
‘But if they claimed that the people below did not know what Kyari was doing, they are telling lies,’ Maduabuchi said.
Another Senior Advocate, Abdul Ibrahim, however, commended the NDLEA for a job well done.
‘It’s a booster on the drug and narcotics war. It vindicates the position that no one is above the law. Due process of law should go on. Let the parties have their day in court as soon as possible,’ he said.
In his contribution, Nkem Okoro noted that the incident will completely erode the confidence Nigerians have in the agency.
‘The Abba Kyari saga has certainly put the NDLEA’s drug war in a bad light before Nigerians and indeed the international community at large.
‘The fact that even during the suspension Abba Kyari still had the temerity to attempt to divert recovered illicit drugs from NDLEA, tells a lot by itself.
‘Consequently, despite the commendable actions of the officers of NDLEA by exposing Abba Kyari, lots of Nigerians, by what transpired, will no longer have confidence in the ability of the NDLEA to effectively fight the drug war in Nigeria.
‘One can only imagine the quantity of illicit drugs, that could have escaped in the country through the conducts of the said Abba Kyari and his cohorts. When we talk about increase in the spate of crimes in Nigeria, drug, is one of the catalyst to such increased criminal activities in both the northern and southern parts of Nigeria. The spiraling effect of the conduct of Abba Kyari and his cohorts in NDLEA must have contributed enormously to the precarious security situation currently being faced by the country.
‘The airport is just one of the many routes manned by both the NDLEA and the Police, through which these illicit drugs get into Nigeria. What could be happening in the land borders, and the seaports?
‘NDLEA definitely needs to do more now, to restore the confidence of Nigerians, and also the bartered image of NDLEA in the eyes of the Nigerians.
‘This they can do, by thoroughly investigating Abba Kyari, and also any of the officers of NDLEA that might have been complicit in the commission of these atrocities by Abba Kyari and his group. They must ensure the timely prosecution of the matter, and also constantly update the Nigerian public of the progress of the matter. This way, they will be able to redeem, whatever is left of their already battered image, in Nigeria the world at large!,’ he stated.