September 05, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government, has filed fresh 24-count charges against the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abbah Kyari,
Kyari who is being detained at the Kuje correctional facility in Abuja is being prosecuted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), alongside four others over alleged drug trafficking offences.
Other defendants in the suit include ACP Sunday Ubia, ASP James, Inspector Simon Agirigba and Inspector John Nuhu.
In the fresh charges filed by Joseph Sunday, NDLEA Director of Prosecution and Legal Services on August 30, 2022, at the Abuja division of the Federal High Court following the uncovering of 14 assets, allegedly owned by Kyari, the anti-narcotic agency accused him of non-disclosure of assets.
The agency said, it traced several properties to Mr Kyari and some of his siblings in Abuja and Maiduguri, Borno State.
According to Punch, over N207 million and Є17,598 were discovered in Kyari’s GTB, UBA and Sterling Bank accounts and various assets in Abuja and Borno state which include; shopping malls, residential estate, polo playground, lands and farmland belonging.
Some of the charges stated that Kyari did not make full disclosure of his properties during investigations and that he disguised his ownership of some of the properties.
His two relatives, Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari, were also joined as co-defendants in the suit.
One of the counts reads, “That you, DCP Abba Kyari, male, adult and you Mohammed Kyari, male, adult, on or about February 14, 2022, in Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this honourable court in order to disguise the true ownership of the property situate at plot no. 33, Bama Road, GRA Extension, Maiduguri, Borno State, covered by certificate no. BO/4319 issued by Borno State Government by deposing to a false affidavit at the Federal High Court in suit no. FHC/NG/Cs/9/2022 and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under section 15(3)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, (as amended).”
In an alleged effort to cover-up the ownership of a plot of land covered by Certificate of Occupancy no: 000271 issued by Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Borno State, Kyari was said to have deposed to an affidavit at the Federal High Court, Maiduguri in suit number, FHC/NG/CS/9/2022, contrary to section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
The prosecution further accused Kyari of deposing to an affidavit to hide his ownership of plot no 9, BOTP/63 covered by the grant of right of occupancy no. BO/1087; a shopping mall at number 4, Aliyu Close along Giwa Barracks, Maiduguri, covered by Certificate of Occupancy no. NE/1229.
The charges revealed that the the suspended DCP knowingly converted N28.4 million in his GTB account number 0121075250; N65.2 million in his GTB account number 0138360064; N95 million in UBA account number 1002250112 and N16.9 million in Sterling Bank account number 0072451994.
The NDLEA accused Kyari of failing to declare in its assets declaration form the sum of Є17,598 in two GTB accounts, being proceeds of unlawful activities; N2.9 million in UBA; N366, 258.77 and N88.000 in Sterling Bank.
The EFCC also filed fresh 24-count charges against Sunday Ubua, an Assistant Commissioner of Police who was Kyari’s former deputy and his co-defendant in the NDLEA case.
Count one read, “That You, Sunday Ubua, male, adult, on or about the 14th day of February, 2022, at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency headquarters, Port Harcourt Crescent, off Gombiya Street, Area 11, Garki, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, knowingly failed to make full disclosure of your assets in the NDLEA assets declaration firm by not disclosing your N100 million life insurance policy with First Bank of Nigeria Insurance Limited contrary to and punishable under section 35(3)(a) of the NDLEA Act, CAP N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
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