Court grants NDLEA order to detain Kyari for 14 days

Justice Zainab Abubakar of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Tuesday, granted the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) an order to detain suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari for 14 days.

The court granted permission to NDLEA to hold the embattled Kyari for the period to enable the agency to complete its investigation into the hard drug trafficking allegations against him.

Justice Zainab Abubakar granted the order after the Director, Prosecution and Legal Services, NDLEA, Joseph. Sunday, moved an ex-parte motion to that effect.

The ex-parte application was also argued by the NDLEA counsel, Mr Mike Kassa.

The NDLEA, in the application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/111/2022, also prayed for an extension of time within which to detain the six other suspects named in the alleged offence.

The six others are ACP Sunday J. Ubia, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirigba, Inspector John Nuhu, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne.

While Kyari is the 1st respondent, the six others are listed as 2nd to 7th respondents respectively in the application.

The ex-parte motion dated February 15 and filed February 16, slight for an order granting leave to the NDLEA for the detention of the suspects in its custody pending the conclusion of investigation.

The NDLEA had, in the application, pleaded for more time to detain Kyari on the ground that the hard drug trafficking allegations against the suspect were complex and may require the agency travelling outside the shore of the country to make some clarifications.

The counsel asked the court to grant the detention extension in the interest of justice and to be fair to the suspect too through diligent investigation.

In a short ruling, Justice Abubakar ordered that Abba Kyari be detained for another 14 days.

The judge however ordered that the 14 days further detention should start counting from February 22.

Kyari, had early on Monday, filed a suit at the Federal High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Abuja, challenging his arrest and continued detention by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The suit filed against the Federal Government was marked FHC/ABJ/CS/182/22 and is before the court of Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo.

Kyari who is also under detention, in the suit is seeking an order of the court to immediately release him.

Justice Ekwo is expected to take the ex-parte application filed along with the suit any moment, Monday.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had, last week, declared suspended deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Abba Kyari wanted over alleged 25kilograms of illicit drugs.

Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi said this at a press briefing on Monday in Abuja.

The NDLEA said investigation has revealed that Kyari, the erstwhile Commander of Intelligence Response Team (IRT) at the Force Intelligence Bureau of the Nigeria Police Force, was a member of drug syndicate which operated across the globe.

The anti-narcotics agency explained that the declaration of Kyari as wanted had become necessary as the policeman had failed ‘to honour the official invitation’ extended to him by the NDLEA, ‘right from this very moment.’

The NDLEA said it cannot continue to keep other suspects in the case indefinitely while the principal suspect fails to honour official invitation, as it explained that relevant channels of communication were duly followed in the demand for Kyari without any result.

Kyari was subsequently arrested by the police and handed over to the NDLEA, a day later. He has since been under the custody of the anti-narcotics agency, which has also formally charged the suspended policeman to court tendering vieo evidence of his complicity in the latest drug dealings.

The embattled Kyari is already a subject prosecution or extradition between Nigeria and authorities in the United States over his indictment in the cybercrimes conviction of an internet fraudster, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas.