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Court okays NDLEA’s request to detain DCP Abba Kyari for 14 days

Published

3 years ago

February 22, 2022

A federal high court in Abuja has granted an application by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to further detain Abba Kyari, the suspended deputy commissioner of police (DCP), and six others for 14 days.

The NDLEA told the court that the suspects are currently the subject of a drug trafficking investigation.

Four of the six other suspects are members of the police intelligence response team — Sunday J. Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba and John Nuhu. The two others are Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne.

Moving the ex parte application on Tuesday, Joseph Sunday, NDLEA director of prosecution and legal services, said the order was needed to enable the agency conclude its investigations and possibly file charges against the suspects.

After listening to the counsel’s submissions, Zainab Abubakar, the presiding judge, granted the order as prayed.

The court said the agency was at liberty to apply for an extension of the order, upon the expiration of the 14 days period.

On February 14, the NDLEA had declared Kyari wanted “over his involvement in a 25kg cocaine deal”. Hours later, the police announced his arrest and subsequent transfer to the NDLEA custody.

Kyari has filed a fundamental human rights suit against the federal government, describing the drug trafficking allegations against him as trumped-up.

On Monday, he approached the Abuja federal high court to seek bail on the grounds of ill health.

The application was, however, not heard as Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, ordered that the respondents be served with all court processes.

He fixed the hearing of the application for Thursday, February 28.

Kyari’s case with the NDLEA came months after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had indicted him for conspiring with Hushpuppi, a self-confessed international fraudster, in a $1.1 million scam targeting Qatari business people.