By Ghazali Ibrahim
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 against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
The latest ruling therefore clears him of the asset declaration charges but does not end all legal proceedings including cyber fraud related offences involving the suspended officer with convicted Nigerian-born socialite, Ramon Abbas popularly known as Hushpuppi.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, a key requirement in criminal trials.
As a result, the court discharged and acquitted Kyari and his two brothers, Mohammed and Ali, who were also named in the case.
The anti-narcotics agency had filed the 23-count charge in 2022, accusing the defendants of failing to fully disclose several assets allegedly linked to Kyari. Investigators claimed to have uncovered about 14 properties, including shopping malls, residential estates, farmlands and plots of land in Abuja and Maiduguri.
The NDLEA also alleged that more than ₦207 million and €17,598 were found in bank accounts connected to the suspended police officer.
However, in his ruling, Justice Omotosho held that the prosecution did not sufficiently establish the allegations, describing the case as lacking the evidence required to secure a conviction.
Despite the acquittal, the NDLEA has clarified that the judgment relates only to the asset declaration case.
The agency noted that the separate drug-related case against Kyari is still ongoing before another Federal High Court in Abuja.
Kyari, once celebrated as one of Nigeria’s most prominent police officers and former head of the Police Intelligence Response Team, has remained suspended from the Nigeria Police Force since his legal troubles began in 2021.
