A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has discharged and acquitted suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, of a 23-count charge bordering on alleged non-declaration of assets.
The judgment was delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, who ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a credible case against the defendants.
Kyari was arraigned alongside his two brothers following charges filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The anti-narcotics agency had accused them of swearing to false affidavits in an alleged attempt to conceal the ownership and origin of certain landed properties.
However, in delivering the judgment, Justice Omotosho held that the NDLEA failed to present sufficient evidence to prove the allegations brought before the court.
The judge explained that ownership of landed property under Nigerian law can be established through several means, including traditional history, title documents, acts of possession, or possession through connection. According to him, the prosecution did not provide any of these forms of proof to establish that the disputed properties allegedly located at Fountain Estate, Kasana, and registered in the name of Ramatu Kyari, actually belonged to Abba Kyari.
He therefore ruled that the prosecution failed to substantiate its claims regarding the alleged non-declaration of assets, leading the court to discharge and acquit the defendants.
The ruling marks another significant development in the long-running legal battles involving the suspended police officer, whose case has drawn widespread public attention across Nigeria.
