Ebenezer Adurokiya, Reporting
A veteran journalist and human rights activist has called on the authorities to consider a plea bargain for suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, arguing that his expertise in tackling banditry and kidnapping should not be wasted behind bars.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Richard Akinola II said that while Kyari had made mistakes, the nation’s dire security situation demanded that all available expertise be brought to bear.
“Yes, he made his mistakes as we all do,” Mr Akinola wrote. “But one thing I learnt from the American CIA and SEALS and Israeli MOSSAD operations from some books I have read, is that when the nation is in dire straits and the expertise of their former operatives are needed, they discountenance their previous misdemeanours.”
He argued that Kyari’s past training and operational successes made him a valuable asset.
“Considering the past training and exploits of DCP Abba Kyari, it would not be out of place if a soft landing by way of plea bargaining is exploited in his current trial, for him to be useful in the current security challenges,” he said.
“Ego and emotion aside, when a country is facing a serious security challenge of banditry and kidnapping, his experiences in busting them cannot be discounted. All his past Israeli trainings are being wasted inside Kuje prison.”
The activist acknowledged that his proposition might prove unpopular but insisted that pragmatism must prevail.
“When you are in crisis simultaneously in different parts of the country, all hands are needed,” he said.
Mr Akinola further argued that Nigeria’s police force, despite its shortcomings, was better positioned than the military to tackle the current wave of insecurity.
“In fighting this security challenge, irrespective of the shortcomings of the police, our police are more trained and equipped than the military in tackling this challenge,” he said.
Stonix News reports that DCP Abba Kyari, a former commander of the police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), remains suspended from the force and is currently facing a drug trafficking trial brought by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The case continues before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Kyari was previously discharged and acquitted in a separate 23‑count charge concerning the non‑declaration of assets, with the court ruling that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence. However, the NDLEA has confirmed that its substantive drug trafficking case remains active.
Nigeria continues to grapple with widespread banditry and kidnapping, particularly in the north‑west and north‑central regions. According to a recent report, Zamfara State alone recorded 1,203 abductions, followed by Kaduna with 629 and Katsina with 566.
Authorities have repeatedly declared war on banditry, but kidnapping gangs and bandit camps continue to thrive in areas where state presence is minimal.
Mr Akinola’s intervention is likely to reignite debate over whether former security operatives with chequered pasts should be recalled to service during periods of national emergency.
