NDLEA to Arraign Kyari, 4 IRT Members, Files Drug Charges

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The federal government any time from now will arraign detained Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari, four of his colleagues in the Inspector General of Police special Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and two others on drug related offences.

This is following the filing of an eighth count criminal charge against the defendants by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Federal High Court Abuja.

Kyari and his co-accussed were arrested by the Police on February 12, 2022 and handed over to the Police for investigation over allegations bordering on drug offences.

The charge, filed on Thursday and marked FHC/ABJ/CR/57/2022 was signed by NDLEA’s Director, Prosecution and Legal Services, Mr Joseph Sunday.

Before today’s suit, the anti-drug agency had also obtained an order of court to detain Kyari and others for another 14 days to enable it conclude its investigations and then charge them to court.

Others listed in the charge 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.

In count one, Kyari, ACP Ubua, ASP James, Inspector Agirigba, and Inspector Nuhu, all of Intelligence Response Team were said to have between January 19 and 25 dealt in 17. 55 kilograms of cocaine and committed and 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.

Count one reads “That you DCP Abba Kyari, ACP Sunday J. Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu, all male, on or about January 19 to 25, 2022, at the office of Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Abuja conspired amongst themselves with ASP John Umoru (now at large) to deal in 17.55kilogrammes 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.”

Count two reads: “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, at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court dealt in 17.55kilogrammes 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. “

Count 3: That you DCP Abba Kyari, ACP Sunday Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu, all male, all male, Adult on or about JanuaryJl 19 to 25, 2022, within the office of the Inspector-General of (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Court conspired amongst yourselves and with ASP John Umoru (now at large) to unlawfully tamper with 21.35 kilogramames of cocaine seized from Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka 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″

Count four: That you DCP Abba Kyari, ACP Sunday Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu, all male Adult on or about January 19 to 25, 2022, within the office of the Inspector-General of (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable unlawfully tampered with 21.35 kilogramames of cocaine seized from Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka 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.”

Count five: That you Chibunna Umeibe, male adult and Emeka 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 21.35kilogrammes 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. “

COUNT SIX
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 21.35kilogrammes 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.

COUNT SEVEN: 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.

COUNT EIGHT:
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 $61,400.00 USD (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
17.55kilogrammes 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.

Meanwhile, no date has yet been fixed for arraignment of the defendants.