The trial of the detained Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, for alleged non-disclosure of his assets resumed before the Federal High Court in Abuja. A witness, Mr. Ahmed Yero, a Chief Investigator with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), detailed how investigations revealed that Kyari received over N200 million through 10 different bank accounts.
Yero explained that although a total of 12 bank accounts were traced to Kyari, who formerly led the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), two of these accounts were dormant. The active accounts were tracked through Kyari’s Bank Verification Number (BVN).
Testifying as the ninth prosecution witness, Yero said that he was directed on February 14, 2022, to lead a team from the NDLEA’s Directorate of Assets & Financial Investigation to examine the assets owned by the defendant. Despite Kyari declaring only three bank accounts, the BVN portal, provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), showed that he owned and operated 10 active bank accounts.
Yero noted that Kyari maintained domiciliary accounts for Dollars, Euros, and Pound Sterling, as well as a salary account for receiving salaries and allowances from the police. An analysis of the bank statements over a 16-year period (2006 to 2022) revealed that the inflows into the accounts surpassed Kyari’s official entitlements from the police. It was also discovered that funds were directly wired from the CBN into Kyari’s account, tagged as “operational funds,” most of which were transferred to family members and associates.
Yero reported that Kyari refused to provide a written statement to the NDLEA, preferring to give his explanations in court.
The court admitted statements of the defendant’s accounts and the BVN analysis as exhibits, despite the defense lawyers challenging their admissibility. Yero continued his testimony, stating that although Kyari claimed to be involved in agriculture, no evidence supported this.
Under cross-examination, Yero acknowledged that Kyari was once described as a super-cop and moved across the country to tackle serious crimes, including terrorism. The witness admitted that the investigation did not cover the number of operations conducted by Kyari’s team or the funds expended.
Yero added that Kyari declared some assets, including landed properties in Maiduguri, Borno State, but failed to declare others, claiming some belonged to his late father or wife. He admitted that there is no law prohibiting individuals from having multiple bank accounts.
Trial Justice James Omotosho adjourned the hearing to March 24, with the NDLEA intending to produce two more witnesses. Earlier, a Compliance Officer with Sterling Bank, Mr. David Ajoma, tendered three bundles of documents, including a statement of Kyari’s account.
The NDLEA is prosecuting Kyari alongside his two siblings, Mohammed Kyari and Ali, on a 10-count amended charge for allegedly attempting to conceal their assets. Kyari is also facing an eight-count charge for allegedly tampering with cocaine seized from convicted drug peddlers. He is on trial with four members of his team: ACP Sunday J. Ubia, ASP Bawa James, Insp. Simon Agirigba, and Insp. John Nuhu. All defendants have pleaded not guilty and remain in prison custody pending the trial’s outcome.
