Suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, has been released from the Kuje Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory after being detained for 27 months.
Kyari was apprehended on February 14, 2022, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for his alleged involvement with an international drug cartel. He, along with four members of the Police Intelligence Response Team Sunday Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu—was arraigned on March 7, 2022.
The case also involved two suspected drug traffickers, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, who were arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu.
While Kyari and the IRT members pleaded not guilty, Umeibe and Ezenwanne admitted guilt and were subsequently convicted.
Kyari’s repeated applications for bail had been denied until a recent decision by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
On May 22, 2024, Judge Emeka Nwite granted Kyari bail to allow him to finalize the burial rites of his mother, Yachilla Kyari, who passed away on May 5.
As part of the bail conditions, Kyari was required to surrender his passport to the court and report to the nearest NDLEA office during the bail period.
The court set May 31, 2024, for a hearing on Kyari’s primary bail application regarding the drug trafficking charges.
Adamu Duza, spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service of the Federal Capital Territory Command, confirmed on Friday night that Kyari had met his bail conditions and was released.
Duza said, “DCP Kyari has perfected his bail conditions, and has since been released today.”
