Court acquits Abba Kyari of 23-count asset non-declaration case

A Federal High Court in Abuja has discharged and acquitted suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari of a 23-count charge of alleged non-declaration of assets filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Presiding Judge James Omotosho ruled on Thursday that the prosecution failed to prove its case against Kyari and his two brothers, who were accused of swearing false affidavits to conceal the origin of properties allegedly linked to the police officer.

The judge noted that ownership of property can be established through traditional history, title documents, acts of possession, or possession connected to ownership, none of which the prosecution provided for the Fountain Estate property said to belong to Ramatu Kyari. He also found no evidence linking Kyari to other properties referenced in the charge, including those on Linda Choko Road in Asokoro, Abuja, and in Maiduguri, Borno State. Kyari had maintained in court that the Borno property belonged to his late father and was inherited by him and his siblings, a claim the prosecution failed to disprove.

Omotosho further dismissed the conspiracy allegations against Kyari’s brothers, Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari, describing the prosecution’s case as weak and lacking credible proof. He added that Kyari had served the country and should not face persecution in the absence of convincing evidence.

Kyari and four other suspended officers are, however, facing a separate trial over alleged involvement in a cocaine deal, in which two traffickers, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, were convicted and sentenced to two years in prison in 2022.