A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday granted the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) approval to detain suspended Abba Kyari and six others under investigation for their involvement in a 25kg cocaine deal, for two weeks.
The court presided over by Justice Zainab Abubakar granted the application of the NDLEA on Tuesday in Abuja. The court gave the order following the application by the anti-narcotic agency’s director of prosecution and legal services, Sunday Joseph
The agency had in the application dated February 15, 2022, in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/111/2022 sought the leave of the court to detain the suspects in NDLEA custody for 14 days pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Those to be detained include, Abba Kyari, Sunday J. Ubia, James Bawa, Simon Agirigba, John Nuhu, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne.
In an affidavit supporting the motion, the NDLEA stated that the 6th and 7th respondents (Umeibe and Ezenwanne) confessed upon their arrest in Enugu that they imported the seized cocaine through Addis-Ababa to Enugu on January 19, 2022.
It further disclosed that “the 1st to 5th respondents (Kyari, Ubia, Bawa, Agirigba and Nuhu) are police officers who carried out the arrest of the 6th and 7th respondents and transferred them to NDLEA for further investigation.
“That investigation by the NDLEA revealed that the 1st to 5th respondents have compromised the whole operation and were involved in the importation, trafficking, and dealing and also tampered with the recovered cocaine.
“That the 1st to 5th respondents have volunteered their statements upon preliminary investigation, which has shown complicity in the case. Copies of statements are hereby attached and marked Annexure NDLEA 4,5,6,7,8, & 9 respectively.
“That the investigation will take some time as there are complicated dimensions of the case that require follow-up and unraveling. That the investigation is likely to extend to foreign countries, where some people linked to this trans-national drug trafficking activities reside.
“That it is in line with the above that the Applicant is applying to the Honourable Court for a period of 14 days in the first instance to detain the respondents to enable it carry out its investigation successfully.”
In her ruling, Justice Abubakar granted the NDLEA’s prayer and directed that the agency should at the expiration of the 14 days detention order either seek an extension, file a charge against the suspects, or arraign them before the court.
Kyari and the four other police officers were arrested and handed over to NDLEA on Monday, February 14 by the police authorities, five hours after the agency declared him wanted in connection with the drug deal.
Read also: Abba Kyari VS NDLEA: When shall the ‘beautiful ones’ be born in Nigeria?
Recall that an Abuja based Federal High Court, had on Monday, refused bail application filed by Abba Kyari’s his lawyers,
Justice Inyang Ekwo, while delivering a ruling on Kyari’s plea for bail, rejected the application through a motion ex-parte brought by his lawyer, C. O. Ikena.
Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter till April 24 for the motion, FHC/ANJ/CS/182/22 to be taken and directed that Kyari be kept in custody
Ekwo informed the lawyer that going by the averments in the application, the NDLEA, who are the respondents would have to be put on notice and fixed April 24 for further hearing on the motion.
He also ordered the NDLEA be put on notice so they can also file their response before the next adjourned date
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