The Initiative for Better Societal Enlightenment, IBSE, has lauded the efforts of the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Abba Kyari, on the arrest of kidnap kingpin Hamisu Bala, popularly known as Wadume.
The group was reacting to the news that Wadume and accomplices had been sentenced to seven years in imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Binta Nyako.
Nyako convicted Wadume on two of the 13-count allegations leveled against him and two others.
Issuing a statement on the development, the organisation expressed gratitude to Kyari for his perseverance in ensuring that “Wadume would no longer be a menace to innocent people as he is now cooling his heels in prison.”
According to a statement issued by Dr. Ofilli Odey, the group’s Executive Director, “Nigeria will be advancing” if people like Kyari could hold various leadership posts.
Odey noted that “Nigerians must commend Kyari because, in the wider context, he is more Nigerian than today’s leaders.
“Someone like Kyari would have compromised because Wadume is very rich and influential and was ready to pay whatever amount, but Kyari stood his ground. Today justice is served.
“He also did not compromise in the arrest of another dangerous kidnap kingpin, Evans, who offered Kari 3 million dollars for him to be quietly kept in a hotel for 3 days and, after payment of the 3 million dollars, that he should be released to go, but Kyari rejected the offer and reported the arrest to his boss, the then IGP Ibrahim Idris, who ordered the Police Public Relations Officer to release the arrest to the public.
“If Kyari had accepted that offer from Evans, he would have released Evans quietly without anybody knowing to continue his kidnappings and nobody would have known about the arrest since the Nigerian government or police have not provided any funds for the manhunt for Evans. The whole operation which took several months from beginning to end was funded by Kyari.
“Likewise, Kyari has not compromised with any of the thousands of armed robbers, kidnappers, terrorists, and murderers that he has arrested all across the country without government funding.
“Kyari would have been very rich if he had collected money and released these dangerous criminals back to society quietly, because they were all ready to pay whatever amount to be released quietly without members of the public knowing.
“If there is a single kidnapper, terrorist, bandit, armed robber, murderer, etc. among the thousands Kyari has arrested that he has collected one kobo and released, please let that person be brought to National Television to testify.
“This is the type of sacrifice this young man made for his country for 2 decades, which resulted in all the awards and commendations he got that attracted a lot of envy and enemies to him,” Odey said.
“What we can take from the sentencing is that Wadume has been incarcerated.”
He expressed dissatisfaction that the prosecution may have failed to pursue a solid case, which is why the punishment looks short.
“The federal government may even appeal the decision in order to obtain a more favorable outcome for infamous offenders like Wadume,” he added.