A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed a bail application filed by a suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari.
Abba Kyari, who is facing drug trafficking charge had approached the Court of Appeal seeking to reverse an earlier bail refusal ruling by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
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Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja had in August 2022, dismissed a fresh bail application brought before it by Abba Kyari after the Kuje prison attack. The Judge ordered his remand at Kuje prison pending the determination of the case against him, should be set-aside.
Justice Stephen Adah who read the unanimous judgment of the Court of Appeal maintained that Kyari’s appeal was without merit.
He held that given the nature of the charges pending against Kyari and others before the trial court, such requests for bail needed to be handled with caution.
Kyari, who is a former head of the Intelligence Response Team of the Nigeria Police Force is facing prosecution by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
He and four members of the IRT – ACP Sunday J. Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu were charged before a Federal High Court in Abuja with conspiracy to deal in 17.55kg of cocaine.
They were also charged with dealing in cocaine without lawful authority; conspiracy to tamper with cocaine and unlawfully tampering with the 21.35kg of cocaine seized from two convicted drug dealers.
On April 29, 2021, a grand jury in USA had filed an indictment against Kyari for the Central District of California with the approval of the U.S District Court. A warrant for his arrest was subsequently issued, for the conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft.
The United States of America then put in an extradition request, which was approved by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Later in August, 2022, The Abuja Federal High Court has dismissed a suit instituted by the Federal Government seeking to extradite the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police DCP, Abba Kyari to the United States of America. Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo in his ruling on held that the FG’s extradition request was “strange, incompetent and bereft of merit”.
Nnamdi Maduakor is a Writer, Investor and Entrepreneur