ENDSARS PROTEST JUDICIAL PANEL: ACCUSED FRAUDSTER, AZEEZ MOJEED, ATTEMPTS TO FRAME DCP ABBA KYARI AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY
In an ironic twist to the aftermath of the recent #ENDSARS Protests, Nigerians are now being regaled with wild stories aimed at tarnishing the hard earned reputation and credibility of some police officers by all sorts of shady characters and criminals who are now taking advantage of the present public disenchantment of Nigerians with the Nigerian Police Force. One of such attempts is the concocted stories and false allegations against one of Nigeria’s very best and most decorated police officers of all time DCP Abba Kyari, former OC SARS Lagos State being promoted by one Mr.Azeez Mojeed as contained in a petition he wrote to the newly formed Judicial Panel of Inquiry And Restitution For Victims of SARS set up by the Lagos State Government.
In his petition against DCP Abba Kyari, Mojeed had alleged among other accusations that Kyari had forced him to sign off on the withdrawal of 41 million naira from him, taken away his SUV car and other personal effects while he was detained for fifteen days. It is curious that Mojeed who claimed that he was eventually set free by the court did not in anywhere in the petition state the crime he was arrested for.
A quick investigation by this medium revealed that firstly, Mr. Mojeed was arrested in 2014 on accusation of defrauding a Nigerian Businessman based abroad of almost a hundred million naira. When he was arrested by SARS, he was said to have paid some part of the money directly to the account of the man he defrauded even before he was charged to court and that is the money he is now claiming Kyari forcefully took from him.
Further investigation into these allegations revealed that the SUV car Mojeed accused Kyari to have personally taken from him was seized and had been and still is at the Police Exhibit Garage at Ikeja till date.
Anybody who had followed Abba Kyari impeccable and unsullied record of integrity and incorrigible track record will readily tell you that Abba Kyari s tenure as the OC SARS Lagos Police Command was one of the brightest era of crime fighting in the history of policing in Lagos in particular and Nigeria in general. Abba Kyari s outstanding performance during this period earned him over three Governor Commendation Awards, several consecutive Inspector General of Police Commendation Awards, Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria CRAN Star Awards for Gallantry and Impeccable Service among countless awards by Civil Society and media Organizations.
Consequently, any attempt to tarnish the image of this Nigerian Super Cop who in some quarters has gained an heroic stature for his service to his fatherland will be an exercise in futility. Nigerians should also be alert and be on the lookout for more of these spurious and unsubstantiated allegations by vengeful criminals and other shady characters who will want to take advantage of current developments to take their pound of flesh from police officers who had brought them to face the consequences of their criminal actions and deeds.