A Federal High Court in Abuja has acquitted suspended police deputy commissioner Abba Kyari and his two brothers in a 23-count asset declaration case filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
The court ruled on Thursday that the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
Delivering judgment, James Omotosho said criminal allegations must be supported by credible evidence.
The judge said the NDLEA could not prove that the properties listed in the charge belonged to Kyari or his brothers, Mohammed and Ali Kyari.
He explained that ownership of landed property can be shown through title documents, traditional history, or proof of possession. But the prosecution did not provide such evidence for properties linked to Kyari in Abuja’s Fountain Estate, Asokoro, and Maiduguri in Borno State.
Kyari told the court that the property in Borno belonged to his late father and was inherited by him and his siblings. The prosecution did not counter the claim with evidence.
The court also dismissed the conspiracy allegation against Kyari’s brothers, describing it as unproven.
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Justice Omotosho said Kyari, who served in law enforcement, should not be treated as a target of persecution without strong evidence.
The NDLEA filed the case in 2022 under charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/408/2022, accusing the defendants of hiding property ownership and converting funds traced to them.
The agency alleged that about 14 assets were linked to Kyari, including shopping malls, residential property, farmland, and a polo ground. It also claimed that N207 million and €17,598 were found in his bank accounts.
The defendants denied the allegations. Kyari said the foreign currency in his domiciliary account had been declared according to financial regulations.
The prosecution called 10 witnesses and tendered about 20 exhibits during the trial. The defendants later filed a no-case submission, arguing that the NDLEA failed to connect them to the disputed assets.
Although the court earlier ruled in October 2025 that the defendants had a case to answer, the final judgment cleared them of the charges.
The ruling does not affect a separate cocaine trial involving Kyari and four other suspended police officers before Emeka Nwite.
Kyari is standing trial in that case alongside Sunday J. Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba and John Nuhu over alleged cocaine trafficking.
Two other suspects in the case, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, had earlier pleaded guilty and were convicted in 2022.