Suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, has been released from Kuje Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory after spending 27 months in detention.
Kyari was detained following his arrest on February 14, 2022, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for alleged involvement with an international drug cartel. He, along with four members of the Police Intelligence Response Team—Sunday Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu—was arraigned on March 7, 2022.
Two other suspects, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, who were apprehended at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, were also charged. Unlike Kyari and the IRT members, who pleaded not guilty, Umeibe and Ezenwanne pleaded guilty and were convicted.
Despite several attempts, Kyari’s bail applications were consistently denied until a recent ruling by a Federal High Court in Abuja. On May 22, 2024, Judge Emeka Nwite granted Kyari bail to allow him to perform the burial rites for his mother, Yachilla Kyari, who died on May 5.
As conditions for his bail, Kyari was required to deposit his passport with the court and report to the nearest NDLEA office during the bail period. The court has set a hearing for Kyari’s main bail application related to the drug trafficking charges for May 31, 2024.
Adamu Duza, spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service of the Federal Capital Territory Command, confirmed that Kyari met his bail conditions and was released on Friday.
Duza said, “DCP Kyari has perfected his bail conditions, and has since been released today.”
