From Hero To Accused: Abba Kyari, Others To Mount Defence In Shocking Drug Scandal

The ruling, delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite on Friday, dismissed the no-case submissions filed by the defendants. The judge stated that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Kyari and the others, warranting that they proceed to defend themselves in court.

Kyari was arrested on February 14, 2022, following his declaration as wanted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over his alleged involvement with an international drug syndicate.

Alongside Kyari, four members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT)—Sunday Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu—were arraigned on charges of conspiracy to traffic 17.55 kilograms of cocaine.

Two other suspects, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, were arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu and added to the case. Both pleaded guilty and were convicted. Kyari and the IRT operatives, however, pleaded not guilty.

While delivering the ruling on the no-case submissions, Justice Nwite held that the NDLEA had provided sufficient evidence to necessitate a defence. He rejected the argument by Kyari’s counsel that the prosecution needed to prove the precise quantity of cocaine for the charges to stand.

The judge clarified that under the law, the punishment for cocaine trafficking is not determined by quantity, and as such, the argument was irrelevant to the trial’s merit.

Justice Nwite ruled that a prima facie case had been established against Kyari and his co-accused and ordered all five defendants to enter their defence on all counts.