The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Monday arraigned deputy police commissioner Abba Kyari and six others over drug-related offences at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The agency filed an eight-count charge of drug trafficking against Mr Kyari and the others.
Those arraigned along with Kyari include assistant commissioner of police Sunday Ubua, assistant superintendent of police Bawa James, inspector Simon Agirigba, inspector John Nuhu, Chibuinna Umeibe and Emeka 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 between January 19 and 25.
Kyari is also being charged with obstruction of justice and attempted bribery of NDLEA officers.
Count eight read: “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.”
Kyari’s arraignment comes amid moves by the Federal Government to extradite him to the United States to face trial for suspected wire fraud.
