CITIZENS COMPASS – Barely 27 months in detention, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted two weeks bail to the former commander of the Force Intelligence Response Team, DCP Abba Kyari.
The bail is to enable him to conclude the burial rites of his mother, Yachilla Kyari.
The court subsequently set Friday, May 31, for the determination of his bail application in the trial over drug-related charges filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) following his arrest on February 14, 2022.
Abba Kyari’’s mother died in the early hours of Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Borno State.
He was survived by 10 children (five males and five females), including Abba, who is the eldest son.
While Abba Kyari was not able to attend his mother’s burial, residents of Borno State turned out in large numbers to pay their respects to Yachilla, who was buried according to Islamic rites the same day.
In 2022, the Police Service Commission suspended Kyari and two senior police officers — Sunday Ubua and James Bawa — named in a cocaine deal involving the suspended deputy commissioner of police.
“The Police Service Commission has suspended the Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Sunday Ubua, and Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP James Bawa from the exercise of the powers and functions of their respective Offices with effect from Monday, 14th February 2022,” the PSC said in a statement.
The NDLEA had also declared Kyari wanted over alleged links with an international drug cartel.
Femi Babalola, spokesperson for the NDLEA, alleged that Kyari and his Intelligence Response Team arrested some drug traffickers who arrived in the country from Ethiopia with 25kg of cocaine but took 15kg of the seized substance for themselves.
In a ruling on Tuesday, Justice Nwite granted him temporary bail in the sum of N50m with one surety in like sum.
According to a copy of the ruling sighted by our correspondent on Wednesday, the judge ordered Kyari to submit his passport to the court.
He was also instructed to always report to any NDLEA formation nearest to him while the two-week bail lasted.
The judge said the surety must be a lawyer, who must be willing to deposit his Call to Bar certificate with the Deputy Registrar of the court.
