December 12, 2025 — Dalena Reporters
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, December 12, 2025, set February 26, 2026, for the delivery of judgment in a high-profile asset-disclosure trial instituted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) against suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari and his two brothers, Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari, marking a pivotal moment in one of Nigeria’s most closely watched anti-corruption prosecutions.
Presiding over the matter, Justice James Omotosho adjourned the case to February 26, 2026, after the prosecution and defence teams adopted their final written addresses and presented detailed arguments on the 23-count charge before the court.
The NDLEA’s charges, filed under FHC/ABJ/CR/408/2022, allege that Abba Kyari and his brothers failed to make full disclosure of their assets, engaged in the disguising of ownership of properties, and were involved in the conversion of monies in violation of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
According to the anti-narcotics agency, investigations uncovered 14 assets allegedly linked to Abba Kyari, including shopping malls, a residential estate, vast parcels of land, farmland, and a polo playground situated in various locations across the Federal Capital Territory and Maiduguri, Borno State. The prosecution also reported discovering funds totaling more than ₦207 million and €17,598 in bank accounts purportedly connected to him.
All three defendants pleaded not guilty at their arraignment and have consistently maintained their innocence throughout the proceedings.
During earlier phases of the trial, the NDLEA called 10 witnesses and tendered at least 20 exhibits to support its case. Following the close of the prosecution’s case, Abba Kyari moved a no-case submission, asserting that the evidence failed to establish his ownership of the assets in question; however, this application was dismissed by Justice Omotosho on October 28, with the judge finding that a prima facie case had been established, thereby requiring the defendants to open their defence.
In his defence, which began on November 4, 2025, Kyari insisted that he had duly declared his assets and those of his wife in accordance with the law, and he denied ownership of several properties linked to him by the NDLEA. He further testified that some properties belonged to his late father, who reportedly had about 30 children, and rejected allegations that he owned the expansive polo grounds attributed to him in Borno State. Kyari concluded his defence testimony on November 26, 2025, after examination by his counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), and cross-examination by NDLEA lawyers.
The Kyari brothers, through legal representation by Monjok Agom, informed the court that they would not call additional witnesses, choosing instead to rest their case on the prosecution’s evidence.
In a related legal battle, Abba Kyari is also facing a separate trial before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, over an alleged cocaine deal involving some serving police officers—another case instituted by the NDLEA in 2022.