A mild drama ensued at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday when two co-defendants of the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari pleaded guilty to the hard drug trafficking charges against them.
However, in spite of their guilty plea, they were ordered to be remanded in the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) till Monday, February 14, when the application for their bail would be heard.
UPDATE; Abba Kyari’s co-accused plead guilty to drug trafficking charges.
**Kyari, others to remain in NDLEA’custody**
The Federal Government, through the NDLEA, arraigned Abba Kyari, six police officers and two civilians on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obstruction and dealing in cocaine and other related offences.
While Kyari and three other defendants, who are police officers, pleaded not guilty to the entire eight-count charges, the two civilians, Chibuinna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, pleaded guilty to 5th, 6th and 7th charges where their names featured.
Upon the plea of the defendants, counsel to Abba Kyari, Kanu Agabi (SAN), along with counsel to other defendants in the charge, prayed the court to admit their clients to bail.
Meanwhile, the trial Judge, Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned till Monday to hear the bail application of the defendants and ordered that they should be remanded in the custody of the NDLEA.
The Judge also fixed March 28 for review of facts in the charges against the two defendants who admitted guilt to the charges against them.
Justice will also sentence them on the day in line with the provision of the law they violated.
The NDLEA had last week slammed an 8-count hard drug trafficking charge against Abba Kyari.
He was charged with the criminal offences alongside four other senior police officers and two civilians.
The charges marked FHC/ABJ/CR/57/2022 is filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja and signed by Mr Joseph Sunday, NDLEA Director, Prosecution and Legal Services.
Those charged alongside Abba Kyari are 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, Abba Kyari, ACP Sunday Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirigba, and Inspector John Nuhu, all of Intelligence Response Team were said to have between January 19 and 25 dealt in 17. 55 kilograms of cocaine and committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 14 (b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, CAP 30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The charge sheet read in count one, “That you DCP Abba Kyari, ACP Sunday J. Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu, all males, on or about the 19th to 25th January 2022, at the office of Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Abuja conspired amongst yourselves 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, “That you DCP Abba Kyari, ACP Sunday J. Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu, all male adults 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 three, “That you DCP Abba Kyari, ACP Sunday J Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirgba and Inspector John Nuhu, all male adults on or about the 19th to 25th January 2022, within the office of the Inspector-General of (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 tampered with 21.35 kilogrammes 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 off 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 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.
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 an 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.