Kyari had been indicted by the FBI in a $1.1 million Internet scam allegedly carried out by Hushpuppi and four others.
The Police Service Commission has set up an in-house panel to probe suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police and former Head of the Intelligence Response Team, Abba Kyari, over his links with serial internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi.
The police commission began its probe even as the panel set up by the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, continued to delay the submission of its report, which should form the basis of the commission’s recommendations.
Meanwhile, the police commission’s panel is expected to examine the facts of the allegations as contained in the Federal Bureau of Investigation indictment and also look at the extant rules “as a means of keeping abreast of the matter” pending the submission of the report by the Special Investigation Panel earlier set up by the IGP.
Kyari had been indicted by the FBI in a $1.1 million Internet scam allegedly carried out by Hushpuppi and four others.
The commission had earlier suspended Kyari with effect from July 31 pending the outcome of the police investigation.
The PSC spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, titled, ‘PSC waits for Abba Kyari report, sets up in-house panel,’ explained that the panel is headed by the Director, Department of Police Discipline in the Commission, Tijani Mohammed, a lawyer.
It explained that the panel was “to gather and document relevant information on DCP Abba Kyari in view of his disciplinary matter and to analyze the information gathered and make appropriate recommendation/s to the commission.”
The panel, which has been inaugurated by the Permanent Secretary/ Secretary to the Commission, Alhaji Abubakar Ismaila, has started work while the commission awaits the report of the DIG Joseph Egbunike investigative panel on the matter.
The statement read, “The report of the in-house panel is expected to assist the commission take an informed decision when the investigative panel report is submitted for the commission’s consideration.
“The commission had also directed the Inspector-General of Police to furnish it with information on further development on the matter for necessary further action.”
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the report of the IG panel probe of Kyari had not yet been concluded.
A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, on Tuesday had confirmed this.
It had said, "The Nigeria Police Force wishes to inform the general public that the probe into the alleged indictment of DCP Abba Kyari by the FBI, being conducted by the NPF Special Investigation Panel (SIP), is still ongoing.
"Members of the public are enjoined to note that the panel has not submitted its report to the Inspector General of Police, as being wrongly reported in some news outlet and online platforms.
"The Force hereby reassures the public that the outcome of investigations by the probe panel would be communicated accordingly upon conclusion of the investigations."