The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday
dismissed the no-case submission filed by suspended Deputy Commissioner of
Police, Abba Kyari, and his co-defendants, in the ongoing drug trafficking
trial instituted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Delivering ruling on the application, Justice Emeka
Nwite held that the prosecution had established a prima facie case, warranting
the defendants to open their defence. The court consequently ordered Kyari and
the five other defendants to present their side of the case.
Kyari and four other police officers—Sunday Ubia, Bawa
James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu—along with two alleged drug traffickers,
Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, were first arraigned in
March 2022. They face a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, tampering
with evidence, and trafficking of cocaine.
According to the NDLEA, the defendants unlawfully
tampered with 21.35 kilograms of cocaine seized from Umeibe and Ezenwanne, by
removing and disposing of 17.55 kilograms and substituting the rest with
another substance. The offences are in contravention of Section 14(b) of the
NDLEA Act, CAP N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
While the police officers have maintained their
innocence, Umeibe and Ezenwanne pleaded guilty to the charges and entered a
plea bargain with the prosecution. They were convicted and sentenced to two
years’ imprisonment each on June 14, 2022 by Justice Nwite.
The court has now directed the remaining defendants to
open their defence, signalling a new phase in the high-profile trial that has
drawn national and international attention.
No date has yet been fixed for the opening of the
defence.
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