The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has brought suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari to the Federal High court in Abuja for arraignment.
He was brought to the court on Monday alongside six others. They will be charged for dealing in 17.55kg of cocaine. They were brought into the court room around 8am in two batches of four and two, by armed operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Kyari, dressed in blue native attire, was brought in to the court premises with one other defendants in a bus, while the other four were driven in two Hylux vans.
They are currently seated in the court room, awaiting the arrival of the judge, for the commencement of the day’s proceedings. The seven defendants are to be arraigned on an eight-count charge filed by the NDLEA. The agency, in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/57/2022, alleged that Kyari who hitherto headed the Police Intelligence Response Team, IRT, and his men, unlawfully tampered with 21.25kg worth of cocaine seized from the two apprehended drug traffickers, Umeibe and Ezenwanne.
It alleged that the police officers committed the offence between January 19 and 25, 2022, at the office of Inspector-General of Police (IGP) IRT, Abuja, in connivance with one ASP John Umoru (now at large), contrary to section 14(b) of the NDLEA Act, CAP N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. Kyari was said to have attempted to bribe a senior officer of the NDLEA with $61,400. 00 at a restaurant in Abuja to prevent the testing of part of the cocaine that was seized from the two arrested drug pushers.
