Suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, on Wednesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that several properties linked to him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) belonged to his late father and were jointly owned by his 30 siblings.
Kyari, who opened his defence before Justice James Omotosho, said his late father left behind more than 20 houses in Maiduguri, Borno State, which his children collectively owned.
He explained that some of the properties had been sold in the past to settle his father’s medical expenses before his death.
“My Lord, I cannot put my interest in the property in the form because the 20 houses belong to my father and not me. If I receive my share of the percentage, I can put it in, but only until I receive my own percentage. All the properties left behind by my father belong to all his children, and we are about 30 in number,” Kyari told the court under cross-examination by NDLEA counsel, Sunday Joseph.
The former police officer, who was once celebrated for his role in combating armed robbery and kidnapping, is facing 23 counts filed against him by the NDLEA. The charges allege that Kyari and two of his co-defendants—Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari—failed to fully declare their assets, disguised ownership of properties, and converted funds contrary to the law.
The charges, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/408/2022, are said to contravene Section 35(3)(a) of the NDLEA Act and Section 15(3)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
The prosecution has so far called 10 witnesses and tendered 20 exhibits before closing its case. The defendants’ no-case submission was dismissed by the court on October 28, with Justice Omotosho ruling that a prima facie case had been established against them.
The judge, however, clarified that the ruling did not imply guilt but simply required the defendants to enter their defence, emphasising that they remain presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
In his testimony, Kyari argued that the NDLEA had failed to prove that the properties in question were personally owned by him, citing Section 128 of the Evidence Act, which he said mandates the presentation of certified true copies of title documents to prove ownership of landed properties.
He further explained that the proceeds from some sold properties were distributed among relatives in need and maintained that he could not have declared assets that were still under collective ownership.
“I cannot include my father’s properties in my asset-declaration form because they belong to the entire family, not me. If I get my percentage share, I can declare it, but not before then,” he said.
Kyari also admitted that he initially declined to fill out the NDLEA asset-declaration form, insisting that his lawyers must be present before he made any statement.
“Yes, I said I would not make a statement until my lawyers were around,” he told the court, adding that one of the officers warned him that refusal to complete the form could amount to a criminal offence.
The embattled officer further testified that the millions of naira traced to his accounts came from operational funds released by the police and some state governors for security assignments.
According to him, as a former Commander of the Anti-Robbery Squad and later head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), he supervised over 1,000 operations, and funds were sometimes routed through his account for logistics and disbursement.
When asked why funds allegedly released through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) were sent to his relatives’ accounts, Kyari explained that he used those transfers to repay loans he had taken from family members to fund urgent security operations due to bureaucratic delays in official releases.
Justice Omotosho stated that the question of whether jointly owned family properties should be declared as personal assets would be determined in the final written addresses of both parties.
The NDLEA, having tendered several bank documents bearing Kyari’s name, sought an adjournment to obtain additional materials for further cross-examination.
The court adjourned the matter to November 12, 2025, for continuation of the hearing.