Extradition: Court To Determine Abba Kyari’s Fate Today

A Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo will on Monday deliver judgment in a suit filed by the Federal Government seeking to extradite the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, to the United States of America.

The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, on behalf of the Federal Government filed the extradition charges against Kyari to pave the way for his extradition to the US to answer fraud allegations in a matter involving social media influencer, Hushpuppi.

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Abuja division of the Court will deliver the verdict that will determine the fate of the suspended police chief regarded as a super cop.

Earlier, the US government requested for Kyari’s extradition so he could face trial before its court where Hushpuppi had already been convicted for internet fraud, awaiting sentencing by September 21.

The US Attorney’s Office for Central District of California, Los Angeles says the September 21, 2022 sentence date for the alleged international internet fraudster remains unchanged.

The court’s Director of Media Relations, Thom Mrozek, said this on Friday in response to an email inquiry by Channels Television.

Since Hushpuppi’s conviction last year for alleged $1.1m fraud, the court has moved his sentence date at least three times. Hushpuppi was initially scheduled for sentencing on February 14 but it was moved to July 11 before it was postponed to September 21 this year.

Asked exactly when 39-year-old Hushpuppi would be sentenced by the court, Mrozek said the suspect had long pleaded guilty last year and would be sentenced later this year.

“Mr. Abbas is currently scheduled to be sentenced by a federal judge in Los Angeles on September 21,” he said.

Hushpuppi had entered a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to charges including money laundering, wire fraud, amongst others brought against him by the court. According to court documents, he risks “20 years’ imprisonment; a three-year period of supervised release; a fine of $500,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offence”.

He was arrested in Dubai in June 2020 alongside 12 others and extradited to the US for prosecution.