National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has clarified that the substantive drug trafficking case involving suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari remains active and is progressing in court.
Gatekeepers News reports that the agency said the case will continue before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja on March 16, 2026, despite a recent court ruling that discharged Kyari in a separate case related to alleged non-declaration of assets.
The clarification followed the ruling of Justice James Omotosho, who struck out a 23-count charge filed against Kyari and others over allegations bordering on money laundering and failure to declare assets. The ruling sparked questions about whether it affected the drug-related charges earlier filed by the anti-narcotics agency.
Responding to the development, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the judgment delivered by Justice Omotosho is unrelated to the agency’s substantive drug case against the police officer.
“First, I need to clarify that the ruling by Justice Omotosho is completely different from the main and substantive drug case,” Babafemi said.
He stressed that the drug trafficking case, which involves allegations that Kyari and some members of the now-disbanded police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) tampered with cocaine seized from suspected traffickers, is still before another judge and will proceed as scheduled.
Babafemi added that the agency is reviewing the recent judgment and will decide its next step after obtaining the full details of the ruling.
“That one is very much on course. The case determined by Justice Omotosho today is a different case of money laundering and non-declaration of assets,” he said.
He explained that the prosecution team has been instructed to obtain a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment to guide the agency’s decision on whether to challenge the ruling.
“The prosecution team has been directed to apply for the CTC of the judgment, the details of which will help the management make a decision on what to do next,” Babafemi added.
Kyari, a former head of the Intelligence Response Team of the Nigeria Police Force, was arrested in 2022 after the NDLEA accused him and some police officers of dealing in cocaine recovered from suspected drug traffickers. The suspended police officer has since been facing trial alongside several co-defendants.
