The life of the former anti-kidnapping chief, Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, is not in danger, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has said.
The prison service was reacting to reports that Kyari’s life was in danger at its facility in Kuje, Abuja.
The suspended police chief is facing trial over drug-related offences and has been remanded by an Abuja High Court court at the Kuje Custodial Centre.
On Thursday, Kyari and three of his co-defendants, through their counsel, urged Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja to admit them to bail because their lives in the Kuje custodial centre were unsafe.
The Controller-General of Corrections, Haliru Nababa, in a statement on Thursday described the reports of a threat to Kyari’s life as fake news.
The statement signed by NCoS spokesperson, Francis Enobore, said, “The story is false, reckless and mischievous.
“For the record, Abba Kyari is one of the over 800 inmates in the location where he is being kept and notable individuals including Ex-Governors, Ministers, Senators and other celebrities of higher social status have passed through the same facility without any threat to their lives.
“The authorities of the NCoS did not and have no course to request for the transfer of Abba Kyari or indeed, any inmate to any other detention centre outside its jurisdiction because there is no justification for such request.
“Abba Kyari is safe and sound and goes about his daily routine like any other inmate, unharmed.
“Those playing pranks with his detention are warned to desist from such unpatriotic acts as they may be asked, through formal litigation, to justify their statement.”
Also, the spokesperson FCT Command of NCoS, Humphrey Chukwuedo, said, “There is nothing about Abba Kyari; he is not under any threat. I was with him yesterday, I was with him today before our staff started going to court. There is nothing about any threat. He’s not being threatened at all.”
