The suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, has been discharged from the Kuje Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory after a detention period of 27 months.
Kyari was apprehended subsequent to his arrest on February 14, 2022, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency due to alleged connections with an international drug syndicate.
On March 7, 2022, Abba Kyari, accompanied by four members of the Police Intelligence Response Team—Sunday Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu—was formally accused.
Additionally, two suspected drug traffickers, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, who were apprehended at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, faced charges as well.
Although Kyari and the IRT members asserted their innocence, Umeibe and Ezenwanne admitted guilt and were subsequently convicted.
Despite various appeals, Kyari’s bail petitions were consistently rejected until a recent ruling by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Judge Emeka Nwite, on May 22, 2024, granted Kyari bail to enable him to carry out the funeral rites of his late mother, Yachilla Kyari, who passed away on May 5.
As a condition of his bail, Kyari was mandated to surrender his passport to the court and regularly report to the nearest NDLEA office throughout the bail period.
The court has set May 31, 2024, as the date for the hearing regarding Kyari’s primary bail application concerning the drug trafficking allegations.
