Suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari and six others charged with dealing in 17.55kg of cocaine have been brought to the Federal High Court in Abuja awaiting their possible arraignment on Monday.
The other defendants in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/57/2022, are four members of the Police Intelligence Response Team, Sunday J. Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba and John Nuhu.
Two other suspects arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, were also listed as defendants.
They were brought into the court room around 8am in two batches of four and two, by armed operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Kyari, dressed in blue native attire, was brought in to the court premises with one other defendants in a bus, while the other four were driven in two Hylux vans.
They are currently seated in the court room, awaiting the arrival of the judge, for the commencement of the day’s proceedings.
The seven defendants are to be arraigned on an eight-count charge filed by the NDLEA.
The agency said the police handed over Kyari to NDLEA at the Force Intelligence Bureau of the Nigerian Police Force, to the anti-narcotic agency.
NDLEA also said the senior cop was caught on camera handing over $61,400 in cash to compromise its operative.
The suspended cop was invited for questioning on February 10 but did not show up or respond, according to the NDLEA.
The senior police officer was earlier suspended after he was implicated by Nigerian influencer Ramon Abbas, known as Hushpuppi, who pleaded guilty to money laundering and other crimes in the United States.
Kyari, who became famous for exposing a string of high-profile crimes in Nigeria, denied the allegations against him.
On Thursday, the Federal Government approved the request by the United States of America to extradite the suspended Kyari over alleged $1.1million wire fraud involving Abass Ramon aka Hushpuppi and four others.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), made this known in an application filed before the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
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Credit : Punch , The Nation and Channels TV
