ABBA KYARI: NIGERIA’S FORGOTTEN SUPER CRIME FIGHTER
By Dr Zanna Hassan Boguma, FCIPDM, FWIP
(Zanna Boguma of Borno)
October 8, 2025
In a nation increasingly challenged by insecurity, few names once inspired the confidence, admiration, and respect that Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari commanded. Renowned for his fearless campaigns against kidnappers, bandits, terrorists, and armed robbers, Kyari emerged as a rare embodiment of courage, intelligence, and tactical excellence in Nigeria’s complex security landscape.
Today, however, that same national hero languishes in detention—without bail, without trial, and without the honor befitting his record of service. Despite the bailable nature of the allegations against him, Kyari remains behind bars, even as criminal gangs and terrorists across the country grow stronger and more daring in his absence. The silence of the nation he once risked his life to protect is both painful and perplexing.
How can a nation build heroes when it abandons its finest?
How can we expect young officers to put their lives on the line for Nigeria when those who did are left to rot, forgotten and unprotected?
A Record of Service and Sacrifice
DCP Abba Kyari’s record is unmatched in modern Nigerian policing. As the pioneering head of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), he led daring, intelligence-driven operations that dismantled some of the most dangerous criminal networks in the country.
From the South-South and South-East, where his team neutralized notorious kidnap kingpins like Vampire and Ability, to the North-East, where he confronted and arrested key Boko Haram suicide bombing coordinators and those behind the Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction, Kyari proved time and again that he was more than a police officer — he was a patriot on a mission.
His team’s tactical brilliance extended across regions — from the arrest of the Offa bank robbers (responsible for the deadliest bank robbery in Nigeria’s history), to the capture of Evans, the billionaire kidnapper who held Lagos hostage for years. Kyari also led the operations that apprehended the dreaded Godogodo, dismantled armed robbery syndicates across the South-West, and successfully tracked down the terrorists behind the Nyanya and Kuje bombings of 2015.
Under his leadership, the IRT became a model of effective intelligence policing — one that inspired confidence in citizens and fear in the hearts of criminals.
National and International Recognition
For his extraordinary service, DCP Abba Kyari received unprecedented national and international commendations. Among them:
Outstanding Service to the Nation Award – National Assembly of Nigeria (with a standing ovation), June 2020
Presidential Medal for Courage – Presented by President Muhammadu Buhari, April 2016
Inspector-General’s Medal for Courage – 2012, 2013, and 2014
Commendation Award from the FBI, United States, 2018
Plus hundreds of professional, civil, and community awards recognizing his bravery and contributions to national security.
These accolades reflected not just his success in policing but also his dedication, discipline, and integrity in service to the Nigerian people.
A Nation’s Moral Test
Today, Nigeria faces not just a crisis of insecurity, but a crisis of conscience. When a man who dedicated his life to protecting millions is left without justice, what message does that send to others who wear the uniform with pride?
DCP Abba Kyari represents the best of what our police service can produce — intelligent, selfless, and patriotic. His continued incarceration without trial not only undermines morale within the force but emboldens the very elements he once subdued.
If Nigeria truly desires a functional and fearless security system, it must not destroy the morale of those who have proven their worth. Justice delayed is justice denied, and in Kyari’s case, it is not only an injustice to him but also to the nation he helped keep safe.
Conclusion: The Need for National Reflection
Abba Kyari’s story is not just that of a police officer; it is the story of a man who gave everything for his country — and now pays the price for a system too slow to protect its heroes.
Nigeria must choose between rewarding sacrifice and punishing dedication. If we continue to abandon our heroes, we risk discouraging the next generation of officers who might otherwise give their lives for this nation.
History will judge us not by how we celebrate our heroes in their glory days, but by how we stand by them when they are unfairly forgotten.
Dr. Zanna Hassan Boguma, FCIPDM, FWIP
Zanna Boguma of Borno
October 8, 2025
