Federal High Court in Abuja, has discharged and acquitted suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Abba Kyari of a 23-count charge of alleged non-declaration of assets filed against him by the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
Kyari is being charged alongside his two brothers, who were accused of swearing to false affidavits to conceal the origin of some properties.
Justice James Omotosho, while delivering judgement held that the NDLEA failed to provide sufficient evidence in proving its case against the defendants, which is mostly non-declaration of landed properties.
Justice Omotosho noted that proving ownership of landed properties can be done through traditional history, title, acts of possession and possession by connection.
The prosecution did not provide any of these documents to show that the said properties located in Fountain Estate, Kasana, which belong to Ramatu Kyari, is truly owned by Abba Kyari.
Also, the court held that prosecution did not provide same material evidence linking Kyari to properties on Linda Chalker Road in Asokoro and also Maiduguri in Borno State.
Kyari, in his defence said the properties in Borno State belonged to his father, which he left for him and his siblings, which the prosecution did not prove otherwise.
According to the trial judge, the prosecution charged Kyari’s brothers in bad faith for alleged conspiracy, which they failed to prove and that in all the case, the NDLEA had no substance.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
