Suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, has been released from Kuje Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory after 27 months in detention.
Kyari was arrested on February 14, 2022, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for his 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.
Also, two suspected drug traffickers, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, who were arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, were also charged in connection to the case.
While Kyari and the IRT members pleaded not guilty, Umeibe and Ezenwanne pleaded guilty and were convicted.
Kyari’s requests for bail had been repeatedly 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 complete the burial rites for his mother, Yachilla Kyari, who passed away on May 5.
As part of the bail conditions, Kyari was required to surrender his passport to the court and report to the nearest NDLEA office during the bail period.
The court has scheduled a hearing for Kyari’s main bail application regarding the drug trafficking charges on 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.”