Hushpuppi/Abba Kyari Saga: Police needs revolutionary force – Kwara DPP

Abdulmumini Adebimpe Jimoh is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Kwara State. The legal icon who has carved a niche for himself in the legal world, is said to be the longest serving DPP in Nigeria with many laurels to his credit. He speaks with JIMOH SULYMAN on the purported romance of DCP Abba Kyari with the suspected famous fraudster, popularly called Hushpuppi among other sundry issues. Excerpts:

To some people, Nigeria Judicial system is bad, what’s your take?

I totally disagree, Nigeria judicial system is one of the best in the world. Though, we must not deceive ourselves, there is nowhere in the world, that is totally free of corruption, including places such as Britain and America. If there is no corruption there, we won’t have words like fraud and embezzlement in their dictionary. In America, there is fraud, money laundering and also embezzlement and that’s why they have laws regulating all these crimes. Fundamentally, we have some of the best lawyers in the world. Lawyers who are refined and committed in litigations, our system is good. It is high time we started appreciating our own things, people and professions, that will help us and also encourage those who are performing superbly in their various callings to do more.

How do you see the call for the extradition of ‘supercop’, DCP Abba Kyari following his purported ‘dealings’ with suspected fraudster, Hushpuppi?

America today has the best policemen in the world, whether we like it or not, they always acclaim that superiority. Also, in the criminal administration, territory where offences are committed, presumably are where the crimes should be tried. But, there are instances where cases could be extradited to be tried in one’s own land particularly when offences in the case were not committed in one’s own land. So, in the case of Abba Kyari, they won’t just be trying him but they will also want to get some information out of him, which are going to be fundamental to prosecuting others and they may not be able to get that in this country.

There was agitation for the overhaul of the Nigeria Police Commission, which was  reverberated by the #ENDSARS protest, what is your view on this?

We inherited the current police system from the Colonial administrators. The police system needs a lot of rejuvenation, refining and revolutionary force to bring it to where it ought to be. We must not deceive ourselves, we must do some levels of societal, departmental and institutional cleanings to get to where we are going.

Where are we on the agitation for financial autonomy for the Judiciary?

I understand the governments have been making effort to let it work. I think it has even gotten to the House of Assembly. as far as this state is concerned, we don’t have problem, we’ve transcended beyond just drafting to taking steps in the Legislature, by the end of this month, every other state must have done that.