Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday refused to order Nigeria’s Federal Government to release the detained Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari from custody.
Rather, the Judge ordered that the embattled Kyari should put the Federal Government on notice of the existence of the suit he instituted against it.
The suspended DCP had dragged the Federal Government before the court challenging his continued detention by an agency of government.
Kyari, in his suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/182/22, prayed the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel the NDLEA to grant him bail on health grounds, pending the hearing and determination of his fundamental right enforcement application.
The anti-narcotics agency had on February 14, 2022, indicted Kyari, ex-head of the police Intelligence Response Team, in alleged drug trafficking and related offences.
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, subsequently handed over Kyari to the anti-narcotics agency for prosecution over alleged links in drug trafficking after the NDLEA released damning photo and video evidence to nail Kyari.
The NDLEA said Kyari, the suspended IRT head, belonged to a drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline.
The anti-narcotics agency also said Kyari contacted one of its officers in Abuja and struck a deal to secure the release of a total of 25kg seized cocaine and offered $61,400 bribe to NDLEA officers who played along until his arrest.
The IGP in a statement had corroborated the NDLEA’s findings, saying incontrovertible evidence indicted Kyari in the drug crimes.
The NDLEA had also said it would charge the cop and four others to court.
The police commission had suspended Kyari on July 31, 2021, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States indicted the “super cop” for his alleged role in a $1m scam allegedly perpetrated by international Internet fraudster Ramon Abbas, aka, Hushpuppi and five others.
The FBI had said Hushpuppi paid Kyari N8m or $20,600 for the arrest and detention of a “co-conspirator,” Chibuzo Vincent.
The United States Attorney’s Office at the Central District of California declared Kyari wanted for the alleged offence.
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