Federal high court in Abuja has fixed June 14 to hear a suit seeking to stop the federal government of Nigeria from extraditing the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari.
Gatekeepers News reports that the presiding judge, Donatus Okorowo adjourned the matter following the absence of all the parties in court on Monday.
There was also no legal representation for any of the parties.
Okorowo, who earlier threatened to strike out the case for want of diligent prosecution, said he was willing to grant one more adjournment and also ordered the service of hearing notice on all the parties.
Kyari is wanted in the United States over alleged conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft.
On April 29, 2021, a grand jury filed an indictment against him with the approval of the US district court for the Central District of California, after which a warrant was issued for the suspended DCP’s arrest.
In a related development, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in July 2021, indicted Kyari in a $1.1 million fraud involving Hushpuppi, the self-confessed international fraudster.
He, however, denied the allegation, claiming that his “hands are clean”.
In August 2021, Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba received the report of a panel set up to probe the allegation against the officer.
The report was further sent to the AGF who then filed an extradition application against the suspended police officer on March 2, 2022.
Meanwhile, a group under the aegis of the Incorporated Trustees of Northern Peace Foundation had approached the federal high court in Abuja in early August 2021 seeking an order to halt any plan to extradite Kyari to the US.
On August 19, 2021, Justice Ahmed Mohammed declined the ex-parte motion filed by the group for an order of interim injunction to be issued against the respondents and then ordered the group, through its lawyer, Olukayode Ajulo, to convert the ex-parte application to a motion on notice and serve all the relevant processes to parties in the suit.
Also cited as defendants in the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/854/2021 are the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
