Court Acquits Abba Kyari of 23-Count Asset Charge

A Federal High Court in Abuja has cleared suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, of a 23-count charge of alleged non-declaration of assets brought against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

In a ruling delivered on Thursday, Justice James Omotosho held that the prosecution failed to present convincing evidence linking Kyari to the properties listed in the charge. The suspended police officer was charged alongside his brothers, Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari, who were accused of swearing false affidavits to conceal the source of the assets.

The court noted that the NDLEA did not establish ownership of the properties, including one located at Fountain Estate in Kasana, which was said to belong to Ramatu Kyari. According to the judge, ownership of landed property can be proven through traditional history, title documents, acts of possession or possession connected to ownership, none of which were provided by the prosecution.

Justice Omotosho also pointed out that the agency failed to link Kyari to other properties cited in the charge, including those on Linda Choko Road in Asokoro, Abuja, and in Maiduguri, Borno State. Kyari had earlier told the court that the Borno property belonged to his late father and was inherited by him and his siblings, a claim the prosecution did not successfully challenge.

While Kyari has been cleared in the assets case, he and four other suspended police officers are still facing trial before Justice Emeka Nwite over alleged involvement in a cocaine deal connected to drug traffickers Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, who were convicted and sentenced to two years in prison in 2022.