Cocaine Deal: Court Declines Abba Kyari’s Bail Request, Orders Quick Trial

On Monday, the Federal High Court in Abuja denied Abba Kyari, a deputy commissioner of police who is being held by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for his alleged involvement in a 25 kilogram cocaine trade, his bail application.

On March 7, Kyari was arraigned with members of the police Intelligence Response Team Sunday J Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu (IRT).

Two accused drug traffickers, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, were arrested at Enugu’s Akanu Ibiam International Airport.

The defendants were charged with conspiracy, obstruction, and dealing of cocaine worth 17.55 kilograms in the FHC/ABJ/57/2022 accusation.

Kyari and four other accused pled not guilty at their arraignment.

The sixth and seventh defendants, on the other hand, pled guilty and pleaded with the court to “have mercy.”

The lawyer who filed Kyari and Ubia’s (second defendant) bail application, Mahmoud Magaji, pleaded with the court to release his clients.

Counsel for the third and fifth defendants similarly requested reasonable bail conditions.

Prosecutor Joseph Sunday, on the other hand, was against the bail applications. He claimed that the case contains all of the reasons why the accused should not be given bail.

The trial judge, Emeka Nwite, agreed with the prosecution that the defendants are likely to interfere with and derail the proceedings.

As a result, he denied the bail motion and ordered a speedy trial.