Abba Kyari To Court: Quash Drug Trafficking Charges against Me

A suspended deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Abba Kyari has challenged the powers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to prosecute him.

Kyari is standing trial alongside four members of his team — Sunday Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu — on an eight-count charge of drug trafficking.

At the proceedings on Wednesday, Kyari, through his lawyer, Nureni Jimoh, submitted that the charge against him was legally defective.

He said the charge was premature, adding that the NDLEA ought to have allowed police to exhaust its investigation and internal disciplinary action before instituting a suit against him.

He told the court that the police had already commenced investigating allegations against him and issued an interim report.

Kyari further argued that the Police Service Commission (PSC) has similar powers to investigate and discipline erring police officers in line with the Police Act and regulations, the same way the National Judicial Council (NJC) disciplines judicial officers.

Consequently, he urged the court to quash the charge and discharge him.