A Federal High Court in Abuja has discharged and acquitted suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari and his two younger brothers, Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari, of a 23‑count charge of alleged non‑declaration of assets filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Gatekeepers News reports that Justice James Omotosho delivered the judgment on Thursday, March 5, 2026, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The judge held that the NDLEA did not present sufficient evidence linking the properties and funds cited in the charge to Kyari or his brothers, and described the prosecution’s case as amounting to persecution.
The 23 counts brought by the NDLEA alleged that Kyari and his siblings failed to fully disclose ownership of dozens of assets, including houses, estates, lands, and financial accounts, in their statutory declarations. The agency also accused them of disguising asset ownership and converting funds.
However, the court said the prosecution failed to establish a credible link between the suspects and the properties or funds, noting that legal proof of ownership requires clear evidence such as title documents and other supporting material.
Kyari had previously testified that some of the disputed properties belonged to family members, including his late father, and that his own declarations complied with the law. The court agreed that the prosecution did not refute these claims with convincing evidence.
Although this verdict ends the asset declaration case, a separate drug trafficking trial involving Kyari and other suspended police officers is still ongoing, scheduled to continue in court later this month.
