The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) filed a lawsuit against suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, and the Federal High Court in Abuja has set February 26, 2026, as the date of decision.
Along with his two younger brothers, Mohammed and Ali, the former head of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) is being prosecuted by the NDLEA for allegedly failing to disclose assets.
Following the adoption of the final written speeches and arguments by the attorneys for each party, Justice James Omotosho set the date for Friday.
According to reports, the three were charged with 23 counts by the anti-narcotics agency for allegedly failing to declare many assets that were reportedly linked to Kyari.
The NDLEA claims that investigators found 14 assets, including shopping centers, residential properties, a polo playground, farms, and land, that were purportedly connected to the suspended DCP.
According to reports, the properties were situated in both Maiduguri and Abuja.
The agency also claimed to have found about ₦207 million and €17,598 in Kyari’s accounts at Sterling Bank, United Bank for Africa, and Guaranty Trust Bank.
The NDLEA Act and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, according to the agency, punish the defendants for concealing property ownership and converting money.
Nonetheless, they entered a not guilty plea to every accusation.
The NDLEA called ten witnesses and submitted twenty materials to support its claims.
Kyari chose to file a no-case submission after the prosecution concluded its case, claiming that the agency had not produced any proof connecting him to the properties.
However, on October 28, Justice Omotosho denied the application, finding that the prosecution had in fact established a prima facie case that required the defendants to provide their defense.
“I Declared All My Assets”—Kyari According to Naija News, Kyari began his defense on November 4 and insisted that he had properly reported both his and his wife’s assets in compliance with the law.
He disputed owning several of the properties that the NDLEA had listed, stating that his late father, who had roughly thirty children, owned several of them.
Kyari emphasized that he had no connection to the land and expressed disbelief at the idea that he was the proprietor of a polo playground in Borno State.
On November 26, 2025, Kyari concluded his defense after his attorney, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), led in evidence and the NDLEA cross-examined him.
The court was informed by Kyari’s brothers, Mohammed and Ali, through their attorney, Monjok Agom, that they would not be calling any witnesses.
“We shall be resting our case on that of the prosecution’s case,” Agom said.
According to Naija News, Kyari’s cocaine trafficking trial before Justice Emeka Nwite of a sister Federal High Court is unrelated to the asset-disclosure issue.
However, in 2022, the NDLEA filed both charges.
