Hours after being discharged and acquitted in a case involving alleged wrongful declaration of assets, suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari remains in custody.
The spokesperson of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) Federal Capital Territory Command, Samson Duza, clarified on Thursday that Mr Kyari is still being held because another criminal case against him is ongoing in court.
The clarification by the correctional authorities followed widespread reports suggesting that the suspended police officer had been fully released after the court ruling.
Mr Kyari’s Legal Troubles
Mr Kyari, a former head of the Intelligence Response Team of the Nigeria Police Force, has been facing multiple legal battles in recent years.
The suspended police officer was charged by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over allegations linked to drug trafficking activities.
He was also prosecuted over allegations of failure to properly declare assets.
A Federal High Court in Abuja recently discharged him and his two brothers in the asset declaration case after the court ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case.
However, the ruling did not affect the separate drug-related charges filed against him.
Court Decision
Mr Duza however, explained that the recent court ruling only affected the case relating to alleged wrongful declaration of assets.
“The court discharged him in the case concerning wrongful declaration of assets after ruling that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence,” Mr Duza said.
According to the NCoS spokesperson, Mr Kyari is facing two separate legal cases.
“One is for wrongful declaration of assets and the other is a drug-related offence,” he said.
Mr Duza added that the presiding judge described the asset declaration case as weak and ruled that the allegations were not supported by credible evidence.
“The one for wrongful declaration of assets is the one he was discharged for lack of merit or evidence,” he said.
He noted that the second case involving alleged drug-related offences is still before the court.
“The ongoing drug-related trial has not been concluded. Kyari will remain in the custody of the NCoS pending the outcome of the proceedings,” Mr Duza added.
Legal proceedings in the drug-related case are expected to continue at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Mr Kyari will remain in correctional custody until the court concludes the trial or issues further directives regarding his status.
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