By Ismail Auwal
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed an application by the federal government seeking to extradite suspended deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Abba Kyari, to the United States to face criminal charges.
The presiding Judge, Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo, in a judgment on Monday, held that the extradition request filed by the Attorney General of the Federation on behalf of the Nigerian government lacked merit and was liable to dismissal.
Justice Ekwo held that the Nigerian government has no basis to file the extradition request having put Kyari on trial in Nigeria in relation to the allegations against him in America.
“I make an order dismissing this application, this is the judgement of this court,” Justice Ekwo ruled.
Kyari is wanted in the United States over alleged conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft.
A grand jury on April 29, 2021, filed an indictment against him with the approval of the US district court for the Central District of California, after which a warrant was issued for his arrest.
In July 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) indicted Kyari in a $1.1 million fraud involving Abdulraman Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi, a self-confessed international fraudster.
