From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari’s drug scandal has exposed Nigeria to further global scrutiny of unprecedented dimensions, according to the National Association of Seadogs.
The association which said it is dismayed by the “stunning revelations” made by the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) linking Kyari, erstwhile head of the Inspector- General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) to an international drug cartel, said Buhari has “another opportunity to salvage the continually fading image of Nigeria and that of his administration by ensuring that the wheel of justice is not compromised at any stage.”
The NAS Capoon, Mr Abiola Owoaje in a press statement: “Abba Kyari Drug Scandal: Beyond the Drama”, noted that Kyari and other suspects remain innocent until pronounced guilty by a law court but said, however, that NAS is “extremely perturbed about the circumstances surrounding the involvement of the senior police officer in this unfolding drug scandal and the colossal negative ramification therein”
Owoaje wondered how Kyari, who should be under suspension from the police and the IRT, would be in a position to give operational control and carry out arrest.
He said the Kyari saga has inflicted a big dent to the image of the Nigeria Police and has shown the prevailing official corruption within Nigeria’s security system.
“The inconvertible fact is that the Kyari drug scandal has once again exposed the grave dysfunction and decadence that permeates Nigeria’s security system. A system that empowers and elevates rogues to stardom, shields criminality, breeds incompetence and official corruption is completely unacceptable and untenable. A system that affords state officials and custodians of the law the opportunity to compromise state institutions with impunity and accelerate the collapse of governance is one that must be repudiated by all right thinking citizens. It is not difficult to understand why Nigeria’s image has continued to attract odium in the areas of transparency and anti-corruption,” he said.
He called on the President to ensure that all the clogs that could impede the swift and efficacious dispensation of justice in this particular case are promptly dismantled.