A Federal High Court in Abuja has discharged and acquitted Abba Kyari, a suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, of a 23-count charge bordering on alleged non-declaration of assets filed against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice James Omotosho held that the prosecution failed to establish a credible case against Kyari and the other defendants. The court ruled that the NDLEA did not provide sufficient evidence to support the allegations contained in the charges.

Kyari had been arraigned alongside his two brothers — Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari — who were accused of swearing false affidavits to conceal the origin of some properties allegedly linked to the police officer.

In his ruling, Justice Omotosho explained that ownership of landed property can only be established through credible means such as traditional history, valid title documents, acts of possession, or possession connected to ownership. He noted that the prosecution failed to present any of these forms of proof to show that a property located in Fountain Estate, Kasana, allegedly belonging to Ramatu Kyari, was owned by the suspended officer.

The judge also held that the NDLEA did not provide evidence linking Kyari to other properties cited in the charge, including those located on Linda Choko Road in Asokoro, Abuja, and in Maiduguri, Borno State.

During the trial, Kyari maintained that the property in Borno State belonged to his late father and was inherited jointly by him and his siblings. The court ruled that the prosecution failed to disprove this claim.

Justice Omotosho further dismissed the conspiracy allegation against Kyari’s brothers, stating that the claim was not backed by credible evidence. He described the entire case as weak and lacking in proof, adding that Kyari had served the country and should not be subjected to persecution in the absence of convincing evidence.

Meanwhile, Kyari and four other suspended police officers are still facing a separate trial before Justice Emeka Nwite over alleged involvement in a cocaine trafficking case.

Two suspected drug traffickers linked to the matter — Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne — were earlier convicted and sentenced to two years in prison in 2022.