Those arraigned along with Kyari include Assistant Commissioner of Police ACP Sunday Ubua, Assistant Superintendent of Police ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirigba, Inspector John Nuhu, Chibuinna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, Channels reports.
Suspended Intelligence Response Team leader, Abba Kyari and his co-defendants have again been taken to court to answer to drug trafficking-related offences charges brought against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Those arraigned along with Kyari include Assistant Commissioner of Police ACP Sunday Ubua, Assistant Superintendent of Police ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirigba, Inspector John Nuhu, Chibuinna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, Channels reports.
The NDLEA had filed eight counts of hard drug trafficking against Kyari after he allegedly attempted to bribe an official of the agency with $61,000 to facilitate the release of seized cocaine.
He was arrested by the NDLEA on February 12 and was first arraigned on March 7 over allegations of drug trafficking.
Kyari had also been accused of committing wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft, and was declared wanted by the US government.
Before his suspension and arrest, Kyari was a former Deputy Commissioner of Police.
Earlier, the once celebrated cop pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him, however, two of his co-defendants pleaded guilty to parts of the drug trafficking charges brought against them.
The defendants, Chibuinna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, made their plea at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Both men, who were the only civilians arraigned in connection with Kyari’s cocaine saga, were ordered to be remanded in the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) till when the application for their bail would be heard.
Kyari’s bail plea was also previously denied, and as investigations intensified, the NDLEA nabbed a suspected billionaire drug baron, Chief Afam Mallinson Emmanuel Ukatu, who is allegedly behind the N3 billion tramadol deal involving the suspended officer.
Ukatu came under watch in 2021, a year after five cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized from his staff members on May 4, 2021.
He had sent them to sell to undercover police officers (unknown to Ukatu), from the then Kyari-led Inspector-general of Police Intelligence Response Team (IGP-IRT), in Lagos.