FG begins process to extradite Abba Kyari to US – AGF Malami

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has commenced the extradition process for the suspended police officer, Abba Kyari. 

This was confirmed in a statement by Malami’s spokesman, Umar Gwandu, on Thursday.  He said this followed the receipt of the request.

“The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice received the extradition request in respect of the officer in question.

“After thorough studies and reviews of issues regarding the application and components thereof, the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice processed the application and forwarded same to the relevant authorities for further necessary action,” the statement read.

While adding that the extradition process is multi-faceted, he said the “submission of request from the concerned party to the relevant authorities constitutes one of such components”.

The approval for Kyari’s extradition is the latest turn in the embattled officer’s case. He is wanted to stand trial for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft.

Kyari was accused of conniving with Instagram celebrity, Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi to commit the crime. In April, a grand jury had filed an indictment against him with the approval of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

On Tuesday, Malami had filed an application before the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja for Kyari’s extradition. The application marked FHC/ABJ/CS/249/2022 was filed under the Extradition Act.

According to the AGF, the application followed a request by the Diplomatic Representative of the U.S. Embassy in Abuja.