Kuje Jailbreak: Abba Kyari Refused To Escape When He Had Opportunity, Deserves Bail — Ajulo

DCP Abba Kyari, the detained suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, refused to escape from custody when he had the chance, it has been revealed.

The suspended policeman was one of the prime targets  in the Tuesday night attack at the Kuje Correctional Center and does not deserve further delay in regaining his freedom, a constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Barr. Kayode Ajulo, has said.

He said the police DCP would have escaped if he had wanted, given the opportunity during the invasion,adding that choosing to remain in the centre was an indication that if granted bail,he would be available for court dates.

To this end, Ajulo appealed to the federal government to do everything possible to protect the life of the suspended police DCP in centre attacked by people said to be Boko Haram terrorists.

Recall that the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi,who visited the prison on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the attack, disclosed after his tour of the facility, labelled the arsonists as terrorists.

Ajulo noted in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja that the attack portends danger for the highly revered corp.

While many prisoners used the opportunity provided by the attack to escape, Abba Kyari was part of inmates that refused to escape even as the invaders broke the entire prison doors for all inmates to flee.

Ajulo said it was important to grant Kyari bail as the allegation against him “is bailable in law and he is kept for five months in custody without bail for somebody of his status that has served his country extremely well and everybody knows he will never jump bail as he has demonstrated by refusing to escape when Kuje Correctional Center was completely opened for everybody to escape freely last Tuesday.”

He added Kyari can’t continue being kept in the midst of those who would want him dead.

“His presence is more than his absence. He has done thousands of good to his country by    arresting and bringing to Justice thousands  of hardened and deadly criminals to book like never before in the history of the Nigeria Police.

“Few examples are Boko Haram terrorists that were bombing Borno and Yobe States, who were arrested by him. Boko Haram terrorist that kidnapped the Chibok School Girls, rescue of Magajin Garin Daura from his Kidnappers.

 “Arrest of Major Kidnap kingpins such as Evans, Vampire, Wadume, Ability, Halti, Yellow, Collins eze,  among many others, as well as many deadly armed robbers such as Godo Godo, Ndagi, King Miracle, terrorist leaders like Umar Abdulmalik, Abubakar Musa, Abu Jamal, Abu Mustapha  and many  murderers and bandits commanders were also arrested and brought to book by him.

“Infact, 60% of inmates in Kuje got there by him and you know what that means for him living amongst them,” Ajulo said.

The lawyer disclosed that a reliable source within the prison confirmed that “two of the inmate terrorists Commanders already Serving jail term who threatened Kyari 3 months earlier after their Rescue Tuesday evening led a group of the gunmen to the cell of Kyari and his men, shouting his name Abba Kyari and saying they will kill him and Behead him while shooting heavily towards the cell.

“God saved him because the 2 explosives they used on his cell door didn’t explode. If they have succeeded in blowing up that door,  Kyari would have been history by now.

“Kuje Prison has a capacity of around 550 but detaining about double of its capacity, many of which are high profiled criminals. And you have the man who was responsible for their arrest in their midst, waking up to their vengeful faces everyday. It’s either the court grant him bail or relocate him to a more secured government facility to protect his life.

“I have said this before, not as his lawyer but as a concerned citizen and rights activist, that it is a threat to his life to keep him in the same prison with many of the criminals he arrested and sent to the same facility,” Ajulo said.