Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police that was arrested on charges bordering on money laundering has been released on bail.
Kyari, who is also facing a primary charge of cocaine trafficking, was granted bail by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
The development was made known by one of his lawyers, Hamza N. Dantani, on his Facebook page on Thursday.
The lawyer wrote, “Alhamudullhi! Abba Kyari’s Bail Granted by Federal High Court Abuja today.”
Kyari’s trial centres around the $61,400 cash and 25kg parcel of cocaine seized as evidence and believed to have been used as bribe to influence operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
According to the NDLEA, Kyari allegedly attempted to bribe a senior agency officer with $61,400 at a restaurant in Abuja to prevent testing a portion of the seized cocaine connected to two individuals arrested for drug pushing.
NDLEA had filed the 24-count charge against Kyari and his brothers — Mohammed Baba Kyari and Ali Kyari.
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He is also under investigation after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States of America indicted him in the case of fraud involving Instagram celebrity Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi.
Kyari was arrested and has been in detention since February 14, 2022, after he was declared wanted by NDLEA over alleged drug links.
Justice Nwite of the Federal High Court had refused Kyari’s bail application on charges relating to trafficking of cocaine.
However, in a ruling today, Thursday, Justice James Omotosho granted conditional bail to Abba Kyari in the sum of N50 million with two sureties in like sum.
Justice Omotosho added that the sureties must have property worth N25m within the court’s jurisdiction, among other conditions.
Nevertheless, the judge held that even when Kyari meets the conditions, the endorsement of his release warrant is subject to developments in a sister-case in which he is being tried with four others on alleged involvement in dealing illicit drugs.