The suspended deputy police commissioner Abba Kyari has been reportedly attacked in Kuje prison.
Kyari, according to documents Premium Times said it accessed, was attacked on May 4 by aggrieved inmates, who accused him of insincerity in bribe-for-release deals when he was in active service.
The police officer was remanded in Kuje prison in March by the Federal High Court in Abuja following his arraignment by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for alleged involvement in drug trafficking.
The 47-year-old is suspended from the Police Force on allegations of involvement in fraud perpetrated by convicted fraudster Ramon Abass aka Hushpuppi. Kyari is wanted in the United States over the allegations.
The newspaper said its sources quoted the Kuje attackers as claiming Kyari was “eliminating smaller (drug) dealers to clear the field for Afam Ukatu,” a suspected billionaire drug baron allegedly behind N3 billion Tramadol deal linked to Kyari.
The inmates, according to the sources, further said Kyari prosecuted them despite taking bribes from them.
Its source also said Kyari bought his safety in the prison by paying each of the aggrieved inmates N200,000 “in initial settlement fees” and then “procured DSTV subscription for cells to buy loyalty and peace.”
The suspended police officer was allegedly subsequently moved to an isolated cell and is being considered to be moved to a facility of the Department of State Services.
Spokesperson for the Nigerian Correction Service, Francis Enobore, denied the attack on Kyari. “I am not aware Abba Kyari paid anybody to secure his safety in prison,” he said.
The newspaper said it could not reach the DSS for comments.
