A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, March 5, 2026, discharged and acquitted suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari of a 23-count charge bordering on alleged non-declaration of assets filed against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
Delivering judgment, James Omotosho held that the prosecution failed to prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt.
The court ruled that investigators did not present credible documentary evidence linking the disputed properties and funds to the suspended police officer.
Kyari was tried alongside his brothers, Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari, who were accused of swearing false affidavits in an alleged attempt to conceal the origin and ownership of properties said to be connected to the former head of the Police Intelligence Response Team.
During the trial, the anti-narcotics agency alleged that the defendants failed to declare several assets and attempted to disguise ownership of properties and funds traced to them.
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The assets cited in the charge included residential properties, parcels of land and other investments located in the Federal Capital Territory and Maiduguri, Borno State.
The prosecution also claimed that large sums of money were discovered in bank accounts said to be associated with Kyari.
However, Justice Omotosho ruled that the prosecution did not establish ownership of the properties through title documents, credible witness testimony or other admissible evidence required to sustain the charges.
The judge further noted that the defence maintained that some of the Maiduguri properties belonged to Kyari’s late father and were inherited by members of the family, a claim the prosecution failed to successfully challenge during the proceedings.
Consequently, the court held that the charges were not sufficiently proven and discharged and acquitted Kyari and his two brothers of all counts.
The case formed part of a series of legal challenges involving the suspended police officer, who remains on trial in a separate case linked to alleged drug-related offences involving some police personnel.