Abba Kyari meets bail conditions, regains freedom after 27 months detention in Kuje prison

Abba Kyari, the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, has been released from the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja after 27 months in detention.

Adamu Duza, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service in the Federal Capital Territory, confirmed that Kyari was release on Friday after meeting his bail conditions.

“DCP Kyari has perfected his bail conditions and has since been released today,” Duza stated.

Last week, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted Kyari a temporary two-week bail to allow him to conclude his mother’s burial rites.

Yachilla Kyari, Abba Kyari’s mother, passed away on May 5, 2024, leaving behind ten children, including Kyari as her eldest son. The court deemed two weeks sufficient for Kyari to return to his home state, Borno, and complete the burial proceedings.

The court set Friday, May 31, as the date for the hearing of Kyari’s bail application related to drug charges filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Kyari, along with four members of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), faces charges of conspiracy to traffic 17.55kg of cocaine, tampering with 21.35kg of seized cocaine, and unlawful possession of the drug.

Reports indicate that Kyari and his deputy, ACP Sunday Ubua, allegedly received a combined N4.2 billion in their bank accounts, with N1.4 billion traced to Kyari and N2.8 billion to Ubua’s eight accounts. The NDLEA’s findings were forwarded to the former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, in 2022.

In 2019, Kyari’s elite crime-fighting squad, the IRT, faced scrutiny over the alleged acquisition of multimillion-naira properties from Collins Ezenwa, a suspected kidnapper killed by police in 2018. Investigations by the National Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International accused the IRT of severe human rights abuses.

Kyari’s involvement in a drug cartel was exposed following the arrest of two suspected traffickers, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu. While Kyari pleaded not guilty to the charges, Umeibe and Ezenwanne confessed and were convicted.

Repeatedly denied bail, Kyari’s recent release followed a Federal High Court decision allowing him to attend his mother’s funeral.