Abba Kyari has a reputation in Nigeria as a "super cop". He is a highly decorated police officer who investigates big criminal cases. And he hangs out with politicians and celebrities. But Mr Kyari's reputation has come under scrutiny since US law enforcement agencies indicated that he is wanted over allegations of links to Instagram influencer and fraudster Ray Hushpuppi. The policeman denies any wrongdoing.

For Mr Kyari's critics, the allegations come as no surprise. They point out that the 46-year-old - feted by President Muhammadu Buhari as a hero - has in the past faced allegations of corruption and human rights abuses in Nigeria. Mr Kyari, who holds the post of deputy commissioner dismissed all the claims as false, and no action was ever taken against him in relation to the allegations. Ken Henshaw, head of We The People, a human rights organisation, said Mr Kyari had been rewarded by a system based on patronage which, in some cases, even punished people with integrity.

"The accusations against him are consistent with those that have been established against the Nigeria police, and its top-ranking officers in the past," said Mr Henshaw. But the Nigeria Police Commission has been forced to suspend Mr Kyari. This came after US officials dropped a bombshell last week by announcing that they had instituted indictment proceedings against him following allegations that he facilitated payments to Nigeria police personnel from Hushpuppi, whose real name is Ramon Abbas.

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