News
HURIWA Accuses Abba Kyari’s Team Of Spreading Lies To Obstruct Justice
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has alerted the public of what it described a coordinated campaign of calumny and deliberate misinformation being orchestrated by the handlers of the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari currently facing trial for drug trafficking offences.
HURIWA made the claim in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The statement reads:
HURIWA wishes to alert the Nigerian public, and the international community to a coordinated campaign of calumny and deliberate misinformation being orchestrated by the handlers of the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari currently facing trial for drug trafficking offences.
Following an in-depth investigation into recent sponsored reports circulating on social media, which claim that two convicted drug traffickers have indicted officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of complicity in the case, HURIWA can authoritatively confirm that these reports are a total fabrication and a clumsy attempt to subvert the course of justice.
Our findings, backed by official court records and witness statements, reveal a starkly different reality from the narrative being pushed by Kyari’s camp. In their official witness statements, the convicted traffickers Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne categorically denied any contact or collusion with NDLEA officers at the Enugu airport in January 2022.
The convicts confessed that their pictures and travel details were actually sent to Abba Kyari. Despite being on suspension at the time over another criminal case for which the United States government is still seeking his extradition to the US for trial, Kyari dispatched a team from Abuja to Enugu to intercept the traffickers for his own ends.
The convicts have stated on record that while in Kyari’s custody, they were forced under duress to indict the NDLEA. The “video confession” currently being circulated was scripted, with Kyari’s men actively dictating what the suspects should say while recording.
HURIWA reminds the public that no amount of digital spin can erase the overwhelming evidence already admitted as exhibits in court. The world has seen the video of Abba Kyari handing over $61,400 to an NDLEA undercover agent. This cash was established to be the proceeds from the sale of part of the cocaine Kyari’s team seized from the very same convicts they are now trying to use as pawns.
“It is pathetic that a high-ranking officer would resort to such low-level blackmail. This is a clear attempt to distract the public from the gravity of the drug trafficking charges. The U.S. government and the global community are watching this case closely. You cannot ‘spin’ your way out of a forensic sting operation.”
For the benefit of the public who they are struggling hard to confuse, the transcript of the conversation between Abba Kyari and an NDLEA undercover agent, already admitted as exhibit in court, clearly confirmed the transactional relationship and conspiracy between Kyari and members of the drug trafficking cartel. Here is a sampler from the conversation between Abba Kyari and NDLEA undercover agent:
ABBA KYARI: Yes, they (Cartel) will reveal to me those that are conveying it (the drugs), snap their pictures and send to us. So, we already know their goods, picture and the clothes they’re wearing, hope you understand, we know their names, they will give us everything. So, automatically the team will just be waiting, they will just see them and pick them up.
NDLEA UNDERCOVER AGENT: But are your boys inside the airport or outside?
ABBA KYARI: Yes, yes, some are outside while some are inside. They will just allow them to finish everything and arrest them the moment they come out.
This tallied with the witness statements by the two already convicted Kyari’s co-accused. In the words of one of them, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe: “I traveled to Ethiopia, Addis Ababa on 10th of January 2022, then I stayed in a lounge at the airport and somebody called me on phone whose name I can’t remember that Jekwu gave him my number that he supposed to give me some stuff which is cocaine. He met me at the lounge and gave me the stuff which is inside the nylon bag, then later snapped my picture. Then that was on the 18th of January 2022 (after staying 8 days in the airport) he asked me to dress the way I will travel back before he snapped the picture.
Then after snapping the picture he left. He knows the reason of snapping the picture, then on 19th of January I boarded to Nigeria. Immediately getting to the outside (Enugu international airport), a young man approached me and said that I should give him my international passport and I asked him what for? He bring out police ID card and showed me immediately and before I know, other police people some are on uniform while some are not on uniform, they surrounded me and pushed me and my brother inside a sienna car and zoomed off.”
There’s therefore no doubt from the court records that the pictures of the convicts were taken by the cartel members at the Addis Ababa airport and sent to Abba Kyari to enable him identify the couriers. This is the only reason his officers were able to pick only the two couriers out of the multitude of people at the airport’s car park.
HURIWA therefore calls on the Nigerian judiciary to remain undeterred by these subterranean moves to blackmail the prosecution. We urge the media to be professional and verify claims against official court transcripts before amplifying narratives that seek to shield alleged drug kingpins from accountability. The facts of the crime remain constant, no amount of sponsored falsehood will wish away the evidence of the $61,400 bribe or the documented betrayal of public trust.
Emmanuel Onwubiko
National Coordinator, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA)
March 25, 2026
Entertainment
Kate Henshaw Explains Fallout With Genevieve Nnaji
Seasoned actress Kate Henshaw has opened up about her fallout with colleague Genevieve Nnaji.
Appearing on the Tea with Tay podcast, Henshaw reflected on the end of their friendship, saying it faded quickly.
Henshaw who could not identify the exact cause of the breakdown, stated they may have grown apart or that some level of mistrust existed, but she remains unsure of what happened.
“We grew apart. Maybe she had some kind of mistrust about me… I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what came over her but I’ve moved on,” Henshaw said.
The actress did not give further details on when the fallout occurred.
Both actresses are icons of Nollywood and have featured in several notable films since the late 1990s.
News
Court Orders FG Take Over Of Ogun Illegal Mining Site
Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered the final forfeiture of properties recovered from Chinese and Nigerians involved in illegal mining activities in Ogun State to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The forfeited assets include a mining site located behind the Baale’s Palace on Ileposo Street, adjacent to 59 Street, Ode-Remo, Ogun State; a Toyota 4Runner SUV with registration number AWE 261 AE; two trucks laden with substantial quantities of mica and lithium stones; and a 40-foot container containing substantial quantities of mica and lithium stones.
The judge made the order, following a motion filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ikoyi, through its counsel, Bilkisu Buhari, seeking an order for the custody and disposal of the properties pursuant to Section 330 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, and other relevant laws.
The Commission also sought an order empowering the EFCC, in collaboration with the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and court officials, to dispose of the forfeited assets and deposit the proceeds into an interest-bearing account pending the conclusion of the criminal proceedings.
According to an affidavit deposed to by an EFCC operative, intelligence reports revealed that several individuals, including Chinese and Nigerians, were involved in the illegal mining and trade of mineral resources, particularly mica and lithium stones.
The affidavit further revealed that the syndicate mined and transported the mineral resources from various locations across Nigeria to a site in Ode-Remo Local Government Area of Ogun State, where the minerals were sorted, processed and prepared for export through Apapa Wharf and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
It was also revealed that operatives of the Commission carried out a sting operation in the early hours of Friday, May 9, 2025, leading to the arrest of two Chinese alleged to be kingpins and six Nigerians at the mining site.
Items recovered during the operation included the Toyota SUV, three trucks loaded with substantial quantities of mica and lithium stones, as well as a 40-foot container containing 3,210 bags of the mineral resources.
According to the affidavit, the properties listed in the schedule were at risk of rapid deterioration due to the rainy season and were already losing economic value.
It was also stated in the affidavit that the principal actors involved in the illegal activities had already been arraigned before the court on charges relating to the unauthorised dealing in mineral resources.
After reviewing the affidavit evidence and submissions by the Commission, Justice Osiagor granted the application and ordered the final forfeiture and disposal of the assets.
The judge also directed that the proceeds be paid into an interest-bearing account pending the criminal trial of the defendants.
Business
MTN Adamant As Airtime Lending Restored By Telecom Operators
Telecommunications subscribers across Nigeria have regained access to emergency airtime lending services as major operators, Airtel and Glo, quietly restored the platforms following the suspension of the controversial Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending, DEON, Regulations 2025 by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC.
The development comes amid mounting legal pressure on the Commission after a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos ordered a halt to the enforcement of the regulations pending the determination of a suit challenging its powers over telecom-based airtime advances.
Confirming the restoration of the services, Chairman of the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria, WASPAN, Ayo Stuffman, disclosed on Monday that the platforms had resumed operations on both networks.
“As we speak, the services in question are already active on Airtel and Glo,” he said.
The return of the services has brought relief to millions of subscribers who depend on emergency airtime credit for daily communication and small-scale business operations.
Industry estimates put the annual airtime lending market at over ₦400 billion.
The FCCPC had earlier moved to regulate airtime lending platforms under the DEON Regulations 2025, insisting that such services fall within the scope of digital consumer credit and therefore require oversight to protect users from alleged abuses, including data privacy violations and unfair lending practices.
The Commission claimed it had received more than 11,000 consumer complaints linked to digital lending operations.
However, the enforcement triggered resistance from stakeholders in the telecommunications ecosystem, particularly WASPAN and other operators, who argued that airtime advances are telecom value-added services and not conventional consumer loans.
The legal dispute escalated after Justice A. Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, issued an order restraining the FCCPC from enforcing the framework, while Form 49 contempt proceedings were reportedly initiated against the Commission’s Executive Vice Chairman, Tunji Bello.
As at the time of putting this story together at about noon on Tuesday, MTN was yet to comply with the court order.
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thecolumnng
March 26, 2026 at 7:15 pm
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