Suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari has been released from the Kuje Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory after spending 27 months in detention.
Kyari was detained following his arrest on February 14, 2022, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for alleged involvement with an international drug cartel.
Kyari, along with four members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT)—Sunday Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu—were arraigned on March 7, 2022.
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They were charged alongside two suspected drug traffickers, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, who were arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu. While Kyari and the IRT members pleaded not guilty, Umeibe and Ezenwanne pleaded guilty and were subsequently convicted.
Despite multiple applications for bail, Kyari’s requests were repeatedly denied until a recent decision by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
On May 22, 2024, Judge Emeka Nwite granted Kyari bail to allow him to conclude the burial rites of his mother, Yachilla Kyari, who died on May 5.
As part of his bail conditions, Kyari was required to deposit his passport with the court and report to the nearest NDLEA office during the bail period.
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The court has scheduled May 31, 2024, for the hearing on Kyari’s main application for bail concerning the drug trafficking charges.
Providing updates, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Correctional Service of the Federal Capital Territory Command, Adamu Duza, confirmed to our newsmen on Friday night that Kyari met his bail conditions and was released on Friday. Duza stated, “DCP Kyari has perfected his bail conditions and has since been released today.”
Kyari’s release marks a significant development in a high-profile case that has drawn considerable attention both nationally and internationally. The upcoming court hearing will determine the next steps in the legal proceedings against him and his co-accused.