By Ken Afor
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has announced the release of Abba Kyari, a suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), from custody.
According to Adamu Duza, spokesman for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command of the NCoS, Kyari was freed after meeting the bail conditions set by the court.
“DCP Kyari has perfected his bail conditions, and has since been released today,” Duza said.
It would be recalled that in February 2022, Kyari was detained by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) due to alleged ties with a global drug trafficking organisation.
Kyari and his team were accused by the anti-narcotics agency to have illegally altered the evidence of 21.25kg of cocaine seized from two convicted drug traffickers.
The agency also alleged that the police officers, in collaboration with a fugitive officer, engaged in the illegal drug trade dealing of 17.55kg of cocaine between January 19 and 25, 2022, at the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) office in Abuja.
Mr Kyari was charged to court on March 7, 2022, alongside four colleagues from the Police Intelligence Response Team – Sunday Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu.
Two suspected drug traffickers, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, who were apprehended at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, were also named as co-defendants.
While Kyari and his colleagues maintained their innocence, Umeibe and Ezenwanne admitted guilt and were subsequently convicted.
Despite numerous attempts, Kyari’s requests for bail were consistently denied until Thursday, July 6, 2023, when Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, granted him a conditional bail in the amount of N50 million, with two sureties required to post the same amount.
The sureties must own property within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) valued at N25 million each.
Additionally, Kyari and his sureties must surrender their international passports, bank statements, property title deeds, and recent passport photos to the court registrar.
It was gathered that the bail conditions are subject to developments in a separate drug-related case before Justice Emeka Nwite, where Kyari is being tried alongside four others.
Also, as a condition of his release, he was required to deposit his travel documents with the court and regularly check in with the NDLEA during the bail period.
