The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Monday, made good its promise to make the indicted former head of the Police Intelligence Response Team, IRT, and six of his co-travellers have their day in court.
The agency, at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Monday, slammed Kyari and his co-suspects with an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obstruction, and dealing in cocaine, and other related offences.
Other defendants in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/57/2022, include four members of the IRT, Sunday J. Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba and John Nuhu.
The remaining two suspects, who were arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, were also charged.
In the charge filed by NDLEA’s Director, Prosecution and Legal Services, Mr. Joseph Sunday, the anti-drug agency accused Kyari and the four other police officers of conspiracy, obstruction, and dealing in cocaine worth 17.55 kilogrammes. They were also accused of tampering with 21.25kg of cocaine unlawfully.
Shortly after the NDLEA declared Kyari wanted on February 14, the Nigeria Police Force, through the Acting Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, a Chief Superintendent of Police, announced the arrest of the ex-boss of the IRT.
The agency confirmed later the same day that the Force Intelligence Bureau of the Nigerian Police Force had handed over the disgraced former ‘super cop’ and the man had started cooling his heels in an NDLEA detention facility.
Kyari faces imminent extradition to the United States for alleged wire fraud.
The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, had told the world that Kyari was also caught on camera handing over $61,400 cash to an operative of the anti-narcotics agency in a bid to compromise him.
Consequently, the NDLEA invited the former super cop for an interview on February 10, 2022, but he snubbed the invitation, according to the agency.
Kyari had earlier been suspended after he was implicated by the infamous internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas, alias Hushpuppi, who pleaded guilty to money laundering and other crimes in the United States.
Following his indictment, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, declared Kyari, who became famous for exposing a string of high-profile crimes in Nigeria, on its wanted.
The Crest recalls that though Kyari denied the allegations against him, the Federal Government, last Thursday, approved the request by the United States to extradite him to tell the court all he knows about the $1.1million wire fraud involving Hushpuppi and four others.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, disclosed this after filing an application for Kyari’s extradition to the US before the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
