Alleged cocaine deal: Court denies Abba Kyari, others’ bail plea

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday refused to grant bail to the suspended DCP Abba Kyari and four other police officers charged with alleged drug trafficking.

Supreme News reports that the other defendants in the charge, marked FHC/ABJ/57/2022, are four members of the disbanded Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), including Sunday J. Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu.

Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling, held that the defendants had not placed sufficient materials before the court to warrant granting the request.

Ruling on Kyari’s bail application, Justice Nwite said that bail was at the discretion of the court.

Supreme News reports that the suspended IRT boss was detained following his arrest on Feb. 14, 2022, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for alleged involvement in a cocaine deal.

Kyari, along with four suspended officers, was arraigned on March 7, 2022.

Two suspected drug traffickers, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, who were arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, were also charged.

While Kyari and the IRT members pleaded not guilty, Umeibe and Ezenwanne pleaded guilty and were convicted.

Meanwhile, Kyari, in his fresh application for bail, said he had spent two years in pre-trial detention by March 7, far in excess of one year, which the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) of 2015 deemed exceptional circumstances, even for a person charged with a capital offence.