Former Commander of the Force Intelligence Response Team, Abba Kyari, was granted a two-week bail on Tuesday to attend the burial rites of his mother, Yachilla Kyari, who passed away on May 5, 2024.
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja approved the bail on compassionate grounds following a request from Kyari’s legal team. Kyari had been detained since February 2022 for drug-related offences by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), having spent 27 months in custody.
Justice Nwite granted temporary bail set at N50 million with one surety of the same amount. According to the court order, Kyari must submit his passport and report to the nearest NDLEA office during the bail period. The surety must be a lawyer willing to deposit their Call to Bar certificate with the court’s Deputy Registrar.
Kyari, the eldest of his mother’s 10 children, was unable to attend her burial, which followed Islamic rites on the day she died. His request for bail to conclude the burial rites was unopposed by the prosecution.
The judge scheduled Friday, May 31, for the hearing of Kyari’s proper bail application in his ongoing drug trial. This follows previous refusals of bail by both Justice Nwite and the Court of Appeal.
Kyari was arrested on February 14, 2022, after being declared wanted by the NDLEA for alleged involvement with an international drug cartel. He was arraigned on March 7, 2022, alongside Sunday Ubua, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu, all members of the police Intelligence Response Team. Also charged were two suspected drug traffickers, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, who were arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu. While Kyari and his team members pleaded not guilty, Umeibe and Ezenwanne pleaded guilty and were convicted.
In 2022, the Police Service Commission suspended Kyari and two senior officers, Sunday Ubua and James Bawa, over their involvement in a cocaine deal. Kyari faces trial in charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/57/2022 for his role in a 17.55-kilogram cocaine transaction.
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