By Amofokhai Williams
A 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 by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the prosecution failed to establish the allegations beyond reasonable doubt, a standard required in criminal cases.
The court consequently cleared Kyari and his two brothers, Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari, who were also named in the charge.
The NDLEA had accused the suspended police officer and his brothers of failing to fully declare assets allegedly linked to them, including landed properties and funds discovered in various bank accounts.
The agency also alleged that some properties were concealed through false affidavits.
However, Justice Omotosho held that the prosecution did not present credible evidence linking Kyari to several of the properties cited in the case, including those located in parts of Abuja and Maiduguri.
The judge said ownership of landed property must be proven through recognised documentation or acts of possession, which the prosecution failed to provide.
The court therefore ruled that the anti-narcotics agency had not discharged the burden of proof required to secure a conviction and ordered that the defendants be discharged and acquitted on all counts.
Kyari, a former head of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), has been embroiled in several legal battles since 2022 after being linked to alleged drug-related offences and other controversies.
Despite Thursday’s acquittal in the asset declaration case, the judgment does not affect a separate cocaine-related trial involving Kyari and other police officers, which is still pending before another judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
