A Federal High Court 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.
Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence to support the allegations brought against Kyari and his co-defendants. The charges were filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Kyari had been charged alongside his two brothers, who were accused of swearing false affidavits in an alleged attempt to conceal the origin and ownership of certain properties.
In his ruling, Justice Omotosho held that the NDLEA did not provide credible evidence to prove that Kyari owned several landed properties listed in the charges, particularly those located in Fountain Estate, Kasana, which were said to belong to Ramatu Kyari.
The judge noted that ownership of landed property can be established through traditional history, title documents, acts of possession, or possession by connection. However, the prosecution failed to present any of these forms of proof linking the properties to Kyari.
The court also found no material evidence connecting the suspended police officer to other properties allegedly located on Linda Choko Road in Asokoro, Abuja, and in Maiduguri, Borno State. Kyari had maintained in his defence that the Maiduguri properties belonged to his late father and were inherited by him and his siblings.
Justice Omotosho further held that the prosecution failed to prove the allegations of conspiracy against Kyari’s brothers, describing the case presented by the NDLEA as weak.
With the ruling, Kyari was formally discharged and acquitted, bringing a significant legal battle involving the former head of the Intelligence Response Team to an end.