NDLEA: DCP Abba Kyari, Others Arraign In Abuja Court today, Pleads Not Guilty To Charges

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Monday arraigned suspended police officer, Abba Kyari and others on drug charges.

Abba Kyari, pleaded not guilty to a drug trafficking charge filed against him by NDLEA.

Kyari told Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, following his arraignment, alongside six others, on allegations bordering on drug trafficking.

While Kyari pleaded not guilty to counts one, two, three, four and eight levelled against him, the other four police officers, who are defendants in the trial, also pleaded not guilty to counts one, two, three and four filed against them.

But Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, who are sixth and seventh defendants respectively, pleaded guilty to counts five, six and seven preferred against them.

Although their names were also mentioned in counts three and four where allegations bordering on conspiracy were levelled against Kyari and others, they were not asked to take a plea on these two counts.

The four members of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/57/2022 include ACP Sunday J. Ubia, ASP Bawa James, Insp. Simon Agirigba and Insp. John Nuhu.

Umeibe and Ezenwanne are the two alleged drug traffickers that were arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu.

Shortly after taking their plea, the NDLEA lawyer, Joseph Sunday, Director, Prosecution and Legal Services, prayed the court for a trial date for the 1st to 5th defendants.

Sunday also urged the court to grant a leave to review the charges against Umeibe and Ezenwanne who pleaded guilty to the charges against them.

“We hope to file our prove of evidence latest tomorrow (Tuesday),” he said.

Kanu Agabi, SAN, who led a delegation of Senior Advocates of Nigeria that appeared for Kyari and Ubia, however, informed that a bail application had been filed in respect of his clients.

The NDLEA’s lawyer, Joseph Sunday, who confirmed being served with the bail application, said a counter affidavit had been filed in its opposition.

The NDLEA, in the charge it filed through a team of lawyers, accused Kyari and the four other police officers of conspiracy, obstruction, and dealing in cocaine worth 17.55kg.

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It equally alleged that Kyari and his men, who are currently in its custody, also unlawfully tampered with 21.25kg worth of cocaine.

Umeibe and Ezenwanne were accused of conspiring with others at large to import 21.35kg of cocaine into the country.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, had, on Wednesday, filed an application for the commencement of the extradition process of Kyari in the FHC.

The Federal Government, through the Office of the AGF, had filed the application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/249/2022, under the Extradition Act as part of the Nigerian government’s approval of the request by the U. S. for Kyari’s extradition.

Kyari is to stand trial for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft.
He was accused of conspiring with a United Arab Emirates-based Nigerian, Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi, to commit the crime, and Kyari had denied the allegations.

A grand jury, on April 29, 2021, had filed an indictment against Kyari with the approval of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and the court issued a warrant of arrest for him.