Abba Kyari debunks NDLEA’s allegations linking him to funds, properties

Abba Kyari, the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police has debunked allegations by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) linking him to the ownership of 14 assets and monies.

He said this in a statement issued by his lawyer, Hamza Dan Tani who said that the allegations were untrue and aimed at tarnishing his image.

Recall that in the fresh 24-count charges filed against him, the NDLEA had claimed it uncovered various assets in Abuja and Borno state belonging to Mr Kyari which included shopping malls, a residential estate, polo playground, lands and farmland.

What Kyari is saying

According to Kyari, if the allegations are true, the NDLEA should immediately release his statement of account to the public.

He said all he has in his accounts are: N2.8 million in UBA account, 7,000 pounds in GTB, N350,000 in GTB and less than 200,000 in his Sterling bank account.

Speaking on the uncovered properties, he said they belonged to some businessmen in Maiduguri who have already filed lawsuits against NDLEA.

• The statement reads, “The businessmen who own those properties and gave their documents have already filed their cases against NDLEA in Federal High Court Maiduguri. The NDLEA without any evidence went and marked innocent people’s properties in Maiduguri and Abuja in April 2022 and released the news to the media which went viral.
• “This is just a malicious media trial without any evidence to show in the court. If NDLEA has any evidence linking Abba Kyari to any of those properties apart from his farmland and one house, they should release it to the public immediately.
• “These properties matter is before the Federal High Court in Maiduguri but NDLEA is still desperate by trying to link Abba Kyari without any evidence to financial crimes and properties that do not belong to him, neither is there one kobo of drug money or any crime money that is linked to Abba Kyari in any way.
• “We challenge NDLEA to release the evidence to the public immediately if any. The whole thing is only aimed at media trials as they have no evidence to show to the court. If they have the evidence, let them release it to the media. This is how all their cases will crumble in the courts since their aim is only a media trial.
• “For the records, the total money in Abba Kyari’s account is N2.8 million in his UBA account, the only account he has been using for the past eight years, 7,000 pounds in GTB kept over eight years ago and N350,000 in GTB kept many years ago.
• “Less than N200,000 in Sterling Bank and Access Bank Account not in use for over eight years. These are all the money that DCP Abba Kyari has in his accounts, which he has declared and the NDLEA should immediately release all Abba Kyari’s account statements to the public if what they are saying is true.”

What you should know

• On August 30, the NDLEA filed fresh 24-count charges against Mr Kyari through Joseph Sunday, the Director of Prosecution and Legal Services.
• In the charges, the NDLEA accused Mr Kyari of not making a full disclosure of his properties during investigations and that he disguised his ownership of some properties.
• Mr Kyari was arraigned on March 7 before the Federal High court in Abuja alongside four others.
• He is being prosecuted by the NDLEA alongside four others over alleged drug trafficking offences and is being detained at the Kuje correctional facility in Abuja.
• Other defendants in the suit include ACP Sunday Ubia, ASP James, Inspector Simon Agirigba and Inspector John Nuhu.