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

Senator Iyabo Obasanjo has expressed support for the use of consensus in the selection of candidates for political offices by parties ahead of the 2027 general election.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday monitored by the column.ng, the daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is eyeing the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, said consensus brings out the right candidates.

She dismissed fears that consensus would produce unpopular candidates, noting that it does not mean party leaders will ignore the wishes of the people.

“I do believe that consensus can bring the right candidates because consensus does not mean that leadership ignores the will of the people; consensus means that they look at what the people are saying. No party wants to lose, so the party will not choose people that open them for a loss; does that make sense?” Obasanjo said.

“So, the consensus is going to come towards people that can actually win on the ground, if that makes sense, because at the end of the day, the party wants to win. So, they do not want to put the least popular person as the consensus candidate in a way that is going to aggravate the other participants and in a way that is going to discourage people that are popular from participating. So, I have full belief that consensus is the way to go.”

She expressed strong belief that the consensus system would be an advantage to her in the race for the Ogun APC governorship ticket, citing her popularity and past performances as a commissioner and senator.

According to the former Ogun Central senator, the good salaries she received as a senator were put into working for her people, which she believes is an edge in the governorship race.

In another appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief earlier this month, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo expressed confidence in her chances ahead of the 2027 governorship race in Ogun State, saying she is a candidate to beat.

The 59-year-old politician, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections, said she is confident of receiving the votes of her parents, including her father, former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“I am almost 60; I think that at this age, my friends who still have both parents alive are very few, so I consider myself lucky to have both my mother and my father alive.

“I don’t think at this age I should be consulting them for everything in my career move. What I have said is that my father, I know, and my mother will vote for me; that’s all that I can ask of them. Even if I don’t ask, they will vote for me; that I can guarantee,” she said.

The new Electoral Act made changes to the modes of candidate selection for political parties. With the new Act, only direct primary and consensus are the options for political parties to choose their candidates, while the indirect primary option has been removed.

‎There is palpable tension in Egbeda/Ona-Ara Federal Constituency of Oyo State, as a group of youths staged a protest opposing what they described as an alleged move by Alabi to pursue a third term in the House of Representatives.

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‎Alabi, an entrepreneur and author, is currently serving his second term in the 10th National Assembly, representing Egbeda/Ona-Ara. A ranking member of the House, he chairs the Committee on Works. He is also the founder of NairaBET and owner of Lekki United F.C.
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‎According to a statement made available to the columng by a journalist Tosin Faleye, protesting youths opposed to his continued representation argued during a street procession, that after completing two terms — amounting to eight years — leadership should rotate to allow fresh representation and new ideas.
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‎Placards displayed during the protest carried messages demanding accountability, transparency, and measurable development outcomes. Some demonstrators alleged that infrastructure projects and empowerment initiatives in parts of the constituency have not met expectations.
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‎Several residents who spoke during the protest expressed concerns about what they described as limited grassroots engagement and insufficient visibility of constituency projects.
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‎Allegations and Counterclaims
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‎The development comes amid broader national conversations surrounding lawmakers’ constituency project allocations, particularly following the removal of petrol subsidy.
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‎At a media and civil society roundtable organised by the International Press Centre (IPC) in Abuja, House spokesperson Akin Rotimi dismissed claims of increased constituency allocations as false, attributing the reports to political actors dissatisfied with previous electoral outcomes.
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‎Separately, comments by Ayodele Asalu had alleged significant increases in funding for lawmakers’ projects. However, official representatives of the House have refuted those claims.
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‎Governance Debate Intensifies
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‎Critics within Egbeda/Ona-Ara maintain that performance should be assessed based on tangible impact, accessibility, and sustained community engagement. They argue that representation must translate into visible development and consistent communication with constituents.
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‎Supporters of Alabi, however, point to his legislative experience and committee leadership as some of the bragging rights that qualifies him for another term of representation.