Court Discharge And Acquit Abba Kyari, Says NDLEA Failed to Prove Asset Case

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday discharged and acquitted suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, and his two younger brothers after ruling that prosecutors failed to prove allegations of asset concealment against them.

Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho held that the case brought by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) did not meet the legal standard required for a criminal conviction. According to the judge, the prosecution failed to establish its claims beyond a reasonable doubt.

Justice Omotosho went further to describe the case as a form of “persecution,” stressing that the burden of proof lies squarely with the prosecution in criminal trials.

With that finding, the court cleared Kyari and his brothers — Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari — of all the charges.

The NDLEA had filed a 23-count charge against the trio, accusing them of failing to fully declare their assets and allegedly disguising ownership of several properties.

Kyari, a former head of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), was accused of concealing ownership of multiple properties located in Abuja and Maiduguri, Borno State. Investigators also claimed that