RismadarVoice Reporters, March 5, 2026
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has discharged and acquitted suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, of a 23-count charge bordering on alleged non-declaration of assets brought against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice James Omotosho held that the anti-narcotics agency failed to adduce sufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations against Kyari and his two brothers, who were also accused of swearing false affidavits to conceal the origin of certain properties.
The court found that the prosecution did not tender credible documentary evidence linking Kyari to landed properties at Fountain Estate, Kasana, said to belong to Ramatu Kyari, or to properties located on Linda Choko Road in Asokoro, Abuja, and in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Justice Omotosho noted that, in law, ownership of landed property can be established through traditional history, title documents, acts of possession, or possession connected to ownership, stressing that none of these forms of proof was satisfactorily presented by the prosecution.
The judge further held that Kyari’s explanation that the Maiduguri properties belonged to his late father and were inherited by him and his siblings was not disproved by the prosecution. He also ruled that the allegation of conspiracy against Kyari’s brothers was not established.
Consequently, the court discharged and acquitted the defendants on all counts.
