NDLEA arraigns Abba Kyari, six others over drug trafficking

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Uba Group

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Monday arraigned suspended police officer Abba Kyari and six others over drug trafficking related offences.

The NDLEA had filed eight counts of hard drugs trafficking against Kyari, who is also wanted in the United States for his relationship with convicted fraudster, Ramon ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas.

Kyari, before his suspension, was a former Deputy Commissioner of Police.

The other defendants in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/57/2022, arraigned along with Kyari include Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sunday Ubua, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirigba, Inspector John Nuhu, Chibuinna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne.

In the charge filed through a team of lawyers led by its Director, Prosecution and Legal Services, Joseph Sunday, NDLEA accused Kyari and the four other police officers of conspiracy, obstruction, and dealing in Cocaine worth 17.55 kilograms.

He is also being charged with obstruction of justice through attempted bribery of NDLEA officers.

See below the full details of the eight counts brought against Kyari and his alleged accomplices:

Count One: “That you DCP Abba Kyari, ACP Sunday J. Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu, all male, on or about the 19th to 25th January 2022, at the office of Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Abuja conspired amongst themselves with ASP John Umoru (now at large) to deal in 17.55kilogrammes of cocaine and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, CAP N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Count Two: “That you DCP Abba Kyari, ACP Sunday J. Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu, all male, Adult on or about the 19th to 25th January 2022, at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dealt in 17.55kilogrammes of cocaine without lawful authority and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 11(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, CAP N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Count Three: “That you DCP Abba Kyari, ACP Sunday J Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu, all male, all male, Adult on or about the 19th to 25th January 2022, within the office of the Inspector-General of (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves and with ASP John Umoru (now at large) to unlawfully tamper with 21.35 kilograms of cocaine seized from Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphons Ezenwanne in the custody of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT), by removing and disposing 17.55 kilogrammes of the cocaine and by substituting same with some other substance and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ACT CAP N30 Laws of the Federation 2004”

Count Four: That you DCP Abba Kyari, ACP Sunday J Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu, all male adults on or about the 19th to 25th January 2022, within the office of the Inspector-General of (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable unlawfully tampered with 21.35 kilograms of cocaine seized from Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwannne in the custody of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT), by removing and disposing 17.55 kilogrammes of the cocaine and substituting same with some other substance and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 16 of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ACT CAP N30 Laws of the Federation 2004.

Count Five: That you Chibunna Patrick Umeibe, male adult and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, male adult on or about the 19th January 2022 at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without lawful authority imported 21.35kilogrammes of cocaine and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 14(b) of the National Drug Law enforcement Agency ACT CAP N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Count Six: That you Chibunna Patrick Umeibe, male, adult; and you Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, male adult on or about the 25th January 2022 at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without lawful authority imported 21.35kilogrammes of cocaine and thereby committed an offence contrary to an punishable under section 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ACT CAP N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Count Seven: That you Chibunna Patrick Umeibe, male, adult; and you Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, male adult and one IK, now at large, on the 25th January 2022, at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court knowingly possessed 21.35 kilogrammes of cocaine and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 11(d) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Count Eight: That you DCP Abba Kyari, on or about 25th January 2022, at a restaurant on Port Harcourt Crescent, Area 11, Garki Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the court, attempted to obstruct the Agency and its authorised officers in the exercise of their duties by offering the sum of $61,400.00 USD (sixty-one thousand, four hundred United States of America Dollars) to a senior officer of the Agency as inducement to prevent the testing of the 17.55kilogrammes of substance used to replace the cocaine seized from Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 23 and punishable under section 49 of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Moments after Kyari was declared wanted by NDLEA on February 14, the Nigeria Police Force, through the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, announced Kyari’s arrest.

The agency said the police handed over Kyari to NDLEA at the Force Intelligence Bureau of the Nigerian Police Force, to the anti-narcotic agency.

NDLEA also said the senior cop was caught on camera handing over $61,400 in cash to compromise its operative.

The suspended cop was invited for questioning on February 10 but did not show up or respond, according to the NDLEA.

The senior police officer was earlier suspended after he was implicated by Nigerian influencer Ramon Abbas, known as Hushpuppi, who pleaded guilty to money laundering and other crimes in the United States.

Kyari, who became famous for exposing a string of high-profile crimes in Nigeria, denied the allegations against him.

On Thursday, the Federal Government approved the request by the United States of America to extradite the suspended Kyari over alleged $1.1million wire fraud involving Abass Ramon aka Hushpuppi and four others.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), made this known in an application filed before the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

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