The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dragged a suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, to a Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged illegal cocaine dealing.

Kyari was charged on eight counts alongside four Intelligence Response Team (IRT) operatives: namely; Sunday J. Ubua, an Assistant Commissioner of Police; Bawa James, an Assistant Superintendent of Police; Simon Agirgba, an Inspector and John Nuhu, also an Inspector.

Other co-defendants are; Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne.

The filing of the charge is coming amidst plans by the Federal Government to extradite Kyari to the United States to answer to a fraud charge.

In Count 1, Kyari and his co-defendants were said to have between January 19 and 25, 2022, dealt illegally in 17.55 kg of cocaine and committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 14 (b) of the Natural Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, CAP 30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

In Count 2, Kyari and the IRT members were said to have, between January 19 and 25, 2022, dealt in 17.55kg of cocaine without lawful authority and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 11(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, CAP N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

The other counts read thus:

“That you DCP Abba Kyari, ACP Sunday J Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu, all male, Adult on or about the 19th to 25th January 2022, within the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves and with ASP John Umoru (now at large) to unlawfully tamper with 21.35 kilogramames of cocaine seized from Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphons Ezenwannne in the custody of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT), by removing and disposing 17.55 kilogrammes of the cocaine and by substituting same with some other substance and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ACT CAP N30 Laws of the Federation 2004.

“That you DCP Abba Kyari, ACP Sunday J Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu, all male Adult on or about the 19th to 25th January 2022, within the office of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable unlawfully tampered with 21.35 kilogramames of cocaine seized from Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwannne in the custody of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT), by removing and disposing 17.55 kilogrammes of the cocaine and substituting same with some other substance and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 16 of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ACT CAP N30 Laws of the Federation 2004.

“That you Chibunna Patrick Umeibe, male adult and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, male adult on or about the 19th January 2022 at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without lawful authority imported 21.35 kilogrammes of cocaine and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 14(b) of the National Drug Law enforcement Agency ACT CAP N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

“That you Chibunna Patrick Umeibe, male, adult; and you Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, male adult on or about the 25th January 2022 at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court without lawful authority imported 21.35 kilogrammes of cocaine and thereby committed an offence contrary to an punishable under Section 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ACT CAP N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

“That you Chibunna Patrick Umeibe, male, adult; and you Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, male adult and one IK, now at large, on the 25th January 2022, at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, Nigeria within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court knowingly possessed 21.35 kilogrammes of cocaine and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 11(d) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

READ ALSO: UPDATED: FG okays Abba Kyari’s extradition to U.S. over $1.1m fraud

“That you DCP Abba Kyari, on or about 25th January 2022, at a restaurant on Port Harcourt Crescent, Area 11, Garki Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the court, attempted to obstruct the Agency and its authorised officers in the exercise of their duties by offering the sum of $61,400 (sixty-one thousand, four hundred United States of America Dollars) to a senior officer of the Agency as inducement to prevent the testing of the 17.55 kilogrammes of substance used to replace the cocaine seized from Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 23 and punishable under Section 49 of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004”.

The case has not been assigned to a judge and no date has been fixed for its hearing.

The Star