Suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari was granted bail by a Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday. The bail was given due to his failure to declare his assets to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
As part of the bail conditions, Kyari is required to pay a bail amount of N50 million and provide two sureties who own landed property valued at no less than N25 million, located within the court’s jurisdiction.
The court’s decision to grant bail to Kyari is contingent upon the resolution of the drug trafficking case against him in another court. He will only be released from Kuje prison once that case concludes.
Justice James Omotosho, who delivered the ruling, acknowledged that the charges against Kyari were bailable offenses. He also recognized that the NDLEA did not dispute Kyari’s claim that he did not attempt to escape custody, even when presented with the opportunity during the insurgent attack on Kuje prison.
“I am inclined to grant him bail considering the duration of his detention and his constitutional right to bail as stated in section 36(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” Justice Omotosho stated.
The court instructed Kyari and his sureties to surrender their international passports, statement of accounts, and the title deed of the sureties’ property to the court’s Registrar. The release warrant in favor of Kyari will only be signed once the drug trafficking case concludes.
The trial has been adjourned until October 18.