On July 31, Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police and head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector General of Police, was suspended from the Nigeria Police Force pending the outcome of an investigation into his indictment by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States.
Kyari was named as a co-conspirator with Ramon Abass, also known as Hushpuppi, an Instagram celebrity, in a $1.1million fraud. Before his suspension, Kyari was a celebrated policemen officer who once headed the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Lagos. However, Kyari is not the first celebrated cop to experience a change in fortune.
FIDELIS OYAKHILOME, EX-NDLEA CHAIRFidelis Oyakhilome was a celebrated Deputy Inspector-General of Police when he was appointed the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in 1988.
However, Oyakhilome was dismissed three years later after being accused of having a relationship with Jennifer Madike, a Lagos businesswoman and socialite who had been arrested for drug-related offences. Madike was arrested after she allegedly collected $80,000 from three men, claiming she was going to give the money to Oyakhilome to secure the release of two suspected drug dealers.
TAFA BALOGUN, FORMER IGPTafa Balogun, Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police between 2002 and 2004, was much applauded for launching Operation Fire For Fire, an initiative aimed at curbing the rate of armed robbery and other criminal activities in the country during his tenure.
However, Balogun resigned from office in 2004 over allegations of corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Balogun faced trial on an eight-count charge bordering on diversion and embezzlement of public funds.
In 2005, after pleading guilty to the charges levelled against him, he was sentenced to six months in prison by an Abuja high court. He had already spent 67 days in custody of the EFCC before the judgment.
Balogun was ordered to pay a fine of N500,000 on each of the eight charges against him. He was also ordered to forfeit all his assets, shares and landed properties acquired with the fund stolen from the police treasury. The assets totalled $150 million, including money stashed in banks, shares in blue-chip companies and 14 luxury buildings.
In the same year, Nuhu Ribadu would announce that the EFCC had recovered N17bn From Tafa Balogun.
NUHU RIBADU, FORMER EFCC CHAIRMANNuhu Ribadu was the pioneer Chairman of the EFCC, following his appointment in 2003. Under Ribadu, the EFCC recorded several landmark convictions, including the jailing of prominent banking executives, former state governors and other high-ranking politicians.
Ribadu’s appointment was renewed in 2007 by the Olusegun Obasanjo-led government for what was deemed a commendable service as the head of the nation’s anti-corruption body. He was also promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) after securing a second time in office.
However, Ribadu’s second appointment did not last for long as a new government, led by the late Umar Musa Yar’Adua, was sworn-in months later. Yar’adua’s Government described Ribadu’s promotion as “Illegal, unconstitutional, null and void, and of no legal effect” and in December of the same year, Mike Okiro, the then Inspector-General of Police, stated that Ribadu would be removed as EFCC Chairman and sent to a one-year training course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, Plateau State.
He was subsequently demoted from AIG to the rank of an assistant commissioner by the same Government in 2008.
In the same year, Ribadu fled the country after two failed assassination attempts on his life.
DSP George Iyamu
DSP George Iyamu who was executed with Lawrence Anini, was know be friend to the notorious army robber,who terrorize part of Lagos and Benin city of the country
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