His name is Abba Kyari, a Chief Superintendent in the Nigeria Police Force, a rank that is two steps lesser than the rank of a full Commissioner of Police. Nothing about his personality exhibits what one hears about him.
He does not look like such a strongman as you watch in the films like Hercules or Power Mike.
Nor does his carriage depict any thing that is known in security circle. One thing stands out with him, the love for Police job and a deep passion that revolves around modern technology. Both are the tools that ushered him into greatness and into the presence of Governors, Inspector Generals of police and the President of Nigeria; features that have seen him win every prestigious award in fighting hardened criminals – armed robbers, kidnappers and terrorists in the country. Good leaders have the ability to easily identify good hands for specific assignments in every institution. That was how the eagle eyes of retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Marvel Akpoyibo as Commissioner of Police in-charge of Lagos State fished out Abba Kyari from the lot and posted him to the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) where his star started shining and the stuff the young officer was made of started being noticed.
It is said that a gold fish has no hiding place. Kyari soon became the toast of both his constituency (Police) and members of the public especially the observing media. Today, CSP Kyari as the officer in charge of the IGP intelligence and Response team has dazzled everyone with his technology -induced style of tracking down kidnappers, armed robbers and other notorious criminals. Perusing his achievement data, it was obvious that his training as a mobile police has served as a good tonic that boosts his present assignment. This is why security analysts are advocating that specialised training as Mobile Police should be one of the criteria for any officer aspiring to be a commissioner of Police. The training is multifaceted and deep, both physically and mentally. It touches morality too and envelops the officers in discipline. What actually stands Kyari out is the uniqueness of his operational modus. When Solomon Arase was the Inspector General of Police, he wanted an officer with a clear head that could fit into a squad of his vision on intelligence led policing.
As usual, many quarreled with the wisdom of Solomon Arase in this but today the country and the diplomatic community are singing Alleluia. When Ogbonaya Onovo held sway as the IGP, he acquired some sophisticated tracking equipments but unfortunately, the equipment was dumped to rust. Four other IGPs after Onovo did not see any need to dust the equipments until a wise IGP came on board and set up the squad that is stunning everyone today. His records at the SARS and presently are mind boggling.
Their first assignment was the arrest of the kidnappers of Chief Olu Falaye a former Secretary to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Apart from the arrest, ransom money collected by them was retrieved. The team was also unleashed like trained Alsatian dogs to search for the perpetrators of the April 14,2014 twin bomb explosion that took place at a crowded bus station in Nyanya, near Abuja killing at least 88 people and injuring at least 200 and the terrorists behind Kuje bombing. The team had a huge success by rounding the perpetrators up and even located the houses in Niger State and in Abuja where the bombs were assembled and later kept for safety awaiting operation.
The Kyari team successes are endless, from the kidnapped Colonel in Kaduna that was later killed, the kidnap of two pastors in Kaduna State, the kidnap of the wife of the Central Bank Governor, the kidnap Reverend Father in Benue State that was later killed, despite collecting ransom from the family.
The four perpetrators were rounded up and they all confessed and all the rifles used for the operation were recovered. So many cases of kidnapping across the country were eventually busted and all the criminals rounded up. The same Kyari was behind the tracking down of the kidnappers of an Oba in Lagos including the Ikorodu School girls. All the kidnappers were tracked down and arrested for prosecution. Like Jimmy Cliff song says, “ The harder they come “ so also the team become more harder in sophistication. The team has been able to crack down on many dangerous criminal groups scattered all over the country. The Kyari team is the story of what motivation can achieve in a situation like what the country has found itself. Apart from the motivational force, which is the Inspector General of police, the leader of the team, Abba Kyari believes in the country and his profession. Security personnel are easily motivated if there is adequate provision for welfare and trustworthy logistics. When the team busted the kidnappers who were planning to kidnap Femi Otedola, the four man gang members included two retired military men, an ex Civil Defence officer and a technician.
It was revealed that the technician who was the brain behind the gang had confessed that he trusted that at least out of the one Billion Naira ransom demanded, Five hundred million Naira could be paid as ransom. The technician further confessed that he would use the proceeds of Otedola’s kidnap operation to set up a business and then retire from kidnapping. In all his operational activities, the major underlining fact is that Kyari has fully utilized modern technology to achieve success in tracking down criminals whose merciless way of operation have left families in tears.
I remember how armed robbers in an attempt to rob a seven months old pregnant woman in Abuja fired a hot bullet into her tummy and left her to bleed to death after dispossessing her of her belongings. It is such heinous crime that Kyari and his highly motivated team are resolved to continue fighting these criminals wherever they are found.
SECURITY File wishes to acknowledge and commend the resolve of Abba Kyari and his team in fighting and rooting out hardened criminals from our society.