Judge says prosecution failed to prove its case — describes trial as “persecution.”
The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed the non-declaration of assets case filed against suspended DCP Abba Kyari and his two brothers.
Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) failed to prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt — the legal threshold required in criminal trials.
The judge went further, describing the case as “persecution,” before discharging and acquitting Kyari, Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari of all 23 counts.
The NDLEA had accused the former head of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and his brothers of failing to fully disclose assets, allegedly uncovering 14 properties including shopping malls, estates, farmland and a polo playground in Abuja and Maiduguri.
The agency also claimed over ₦207 million and €17,598 were traced to accounts in GTBank, UBA and Sterling Bank, alongside allegations of disguising property ownership and converting funds.
The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/408/2022, was filed under provisions of the NDLEA Act and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
All three defendants had pleaded not guilty.
With Thursday’s ruling, the high-profile trial comes to an abrupt end — unless the prosecution opts to appeal.
Leave a comment