The Federal High Court in Abuja has discharged and acquitted suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, of a 23-count charge bordering on alleged non-declaration of assets filed against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice James Omotosho held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt against Kyari and the other defendants.
Kyari was arraigned alongside his two brothers, Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari, who were accused of swearing false affidavits to conceal the origin of certain properties allegedly linked to the police officer.
In his ruling, Justice Omotosho said the NDLEA did not present sufficient and credible evidence to establish that the properties listed in the charge were owned by Kyari.
The agency had in 2022 filed the 23-count charge (FHC/ABJ/CR/408/2022), alleging that Kyari and his brothers failed to declare 14 assets, including shopping malls, a residential estate, a polo playground, parcels of land and farmland in Abuja and Maiduguri, as well as over ₦207 million and €17,598 in bank accounts domiciled in GTB, UBA and Sterling Bank.
The alleged offences were said to contravene Section 35(3)(a) of the NDLEA Act and Section 15(3)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, with claims of concealed ownership and unlawful conversion of funds.
Kyari had secured bail in the sum of ₦50 million in July 2023 after the court ruled that the charges were bailable. The prosecution called 10 witnesses and tendered 20 exhibits, including property documents and bank records, before closing its case.
Kyari subsequently filed a no-case submission, denying ownership of the assets and maintaining that the properties were inherited from his late father, who had about 30 children. Although the court initially dismissed his no-case submission in October 2025 and ordered him to open his defence, it ultimately found that the prosecution failed to sufficiently link the assets to him.
Meanwhile, Kyari’s separate trial over alleged cocaine trafficking remains ongoing before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
He is standing trial alongside four members of the Intelligence Response Team—ACP Sunday Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu—on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, tampering with 21.35 kilograms of cocaine, and unlawful dealing in narcotics in January 2022 at the Enugu Airport, contrary to provisions of the NDLEA Act.
The prosecution has closed its case in the drug trial after calling 10 witnesses. The court had earlier dismissed the defendants’ no-case submissions and ordered them to enter their defence.
On February 27, 2026, the court admitted a video recording marked as Exhibit D-3, said to contain confessional statements of co-defendants, despite objections from the NDLEA.
The matter has been adjourned to March 16 for playback of the video evidence and continuation of hearing.
