The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed February 26, 2026, for judgment in the case filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) against suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari.
Kyari, the former head of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), is being prosecuted alongside his two younger brothers on allegations of failure to fully disclose their assets.
Justice James Omotosho scheduled the judgment date after counsel for all parties, including NDLEA’s lawyer, Sunday Joseph; Kyari’s lead counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN); and the brothers’ lawyer, Monjok Agom, adopted their final written addresses.
In the 23-count charge, the NDLEA alleged that Kyari, Mohammed Kyari, and Ali Kyari failed to declare 14 assets, including shopping malls, a residential estate, a polo playground, plots of land, and farmlands, located in Abuja and Maiduguri.
The agency further claimed that over ₦207 million and €17,598 were traced to Kyari’s accounts across several banks.
Prosecutors also accused the defendants of disguising ownership of properties and converting funds, offences said to contravene the NDLEA Act and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
Despite pleading not guilty, Kyari filed a no-case submission after the NDLEA closed its case with 10 witnesses and at least 20 exhibits.
The court dismissed the submission, ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case requiring the defendants to open their defence.
Kyari, who testified on November 4, claimed he duly declared his assets and those of his wife and denied ownership of several properties linked to him.
He further stated that some assets listed by the NDLEA belonged to his late father, who had about 30 children.
He closed his defence on November 26. His brothers opted not to call any witnesses, choosing instead to rely on the prosecution’s evidence.
The ongoing matter is separate from Kyari’s cocaine-related trial before Justice Emeka Nwite — another case initiated by the NDLEA in 2022.
