Abubakar Malami, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, said on Monday that the US government and its Nigerian counterpart are discussing the possibility of extraditing suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Abba Kyari, for his ties to international fraudster Ramon Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi.
Both governments are talking of extraditing Kyari, according to Malami, because reasonable grounds for suspicion have been established against the former head of the Intelligence Response Team, IRT.
This was revealed during an appearance on Channels Television's Politics Today.
Kyari was tied to a $1 million scam allegedly committed by Hushpuppi and his gangs, according to the FBI.
The former IRT leader, on the other hand, denied any role in Hushpuppi's robbery.
Despite his denials, Kyari was suspended by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) pending an inquiry by the Police Service Commission (PSC).
PSC had recommended Kyari's expulsion from the force after its inquiry was completed.
However, Malami stated that both governments have exchanged correspondence over Kyari's case.
"As far as I'm concerned, the parties are discussing, the parties are cooperating, there are exchanges of communication from the perspectives of inquiry, extradition, and related things," Malami says.
"Reasonable grounds for suspicion have been established, which will lead to the potential of prosecution and conviction if one is found guilty by the law."