Abba Kyari, the suspended deputy commissioner of police (DCP), has been granted bail by a federal high court in Abuja for a period of two weeks.
Recall that Kyari was taken into custody in February 2022 following his arrest.
The sitting judge, Emeka Nwite, stated in her decision on Tuesday that Kyari needs the bail in order to complete his mother Yachilla Kyari’s funeral ceremonies. Kyari passed away on May 5.
During the duration of his bail, Kyari was ordered by the judge to surrender his foreign passport to the court and report to the nearest National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) office.
The judge set May 31 as the date for deciding Kyari’s primary bail request in relation to the narcotics trafficking accusation.
Kyari was arrested on February 14, 2022, after the NDLEA declared him wanted over alleged links with an international drug cartel.
On March 7, 2022, Kyari was arraigned alongside Sunday Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu, who are members of the police intelligence response team (IRT).
Others are Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, two suspected drug traffickers who were arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
Upon arraignment, Kyari and four other defendants pleaded not guilty.
However, Umeibe and Ezenwanne, the sixth and seventh defendants, pleaded guilty and were convicted accordingly.
Since then, applications by the defendants to be released on bail have been rejected.
The presiding judge refused to grant the defendants bail twice after they argued that their lives were being threatened by criminals whom Kyari’s team arrested.
The court of appeal in Abuja also dismissed Kyari’s appeal for bail.
In a sister case, the suspended DCP is also standing trial on a 24-count charge alongside his two siblings, Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari, over non-disclosure of assets.
The defendants were granted bail in that case. However, the judge noted that Kyari’s release from prison custody is dependent on what happens in the drug trafficking case.
