After 27 months in detention, the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, has been released from the Kuje Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory.
Kyari, detained since February 14, 2022, following his arrest by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on alleged ties to an international drug cartel, met his bail conditions and was released on Friday.
Alongside four members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Kyari was arraigned on March 7, 2022.
Although Kyari and the IRT members pleaded not guilty, two suspected drug traffickers arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu were convicted.
Despite previous bail denials, a recent decision by a Federal High Court in Abuja granted Kyari bail to attend his mother’s burial rites. As part of the conditions, Kyari surrendered his passport and must report to the NDLEA office during the bail period.
The court scheduled May 31, 2024, for the hearing on Kyari’s bail application concerning the drug trafficking charges. Confirmed by the Nigerian Correctional Service spokesperson, Adamu Duza, Kyari has met his bail conditions and has been released.