Yesterday, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja dismissed a fresh bail application filed by detained Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, who is facing charges of drug trafficking. Trial judge Justice Emeka Nwite ruled that Kyari’s application lacked merit and failed to establish exceptional circumstances that would warrant his release pending the conclusion of his trial.
Justice Nwite emphasized that the court had previously rejected a similar bail application from Kyari and had ordered an accelerated hearing of the case. He noted that Kyari did not present any new evidence or grounds compelling enough to justify a departure from the earlier ruling.
Consequently, the court refused Kyari’s bail application and granted permission to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to proceed with the prosecution of Kyari and his co-defendants in the case.
This ruling comes approximately a month after the court had temporarily released Kyari from prison custody to attend his late mother’s burial. During that release, Kyari was granted bail for a period not exceeding two weeks, with conditions including a N50 million bail bond and a surety in the same amount.
Abba Kyari, who formerly headed the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), is facing an eight-count charge alongside four members of his team: ACP Sunday J. Ubia, ASP Bawa James, Insp. Simon Agirigba, and Insp. John Nuhu. The NDLEA alleges that they unlawfully tampered with 21.25 kilograms of cocaine seized from convicted drug traffickers and were involved in dealing with 17.55 kilograms of cocaine between January 19 and 25, 2022, at the IGP IRT office in Abuja.
All defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court had previously denied bail to the defendants and ordered their remand at Kuje prison in earlier rulings.
