Court denies Abba Kyari bail application again

On Tuesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a new bail application brought before it by the detained Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Abba Kyari, who is charged with drug trafficking.

In a ruling delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite, the court held that the suspended DCP failed to establish why its previous decision ordering his remand at Kuje prison pending the determination of the case against him should be set aside.

It ruled that the fact that Kyari and four other police officers on trial with him did not flee when Kuje prison was recently attacked by insurgents was insufficient evidence that they would not jump bail if released from custody.

Justice Nwite rejected Kyari's argument that the Kuje jailbreak was an exceptional circumstance that the court should consider and reconsider its previous ruling denying him bail.

He held that the development the defendant relied upon did not fall within the purview of sections 162 and 163 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015, to warrant the court to vary its subsisting order.

More so, Justice Nwite held that since the NDLEA has not closed its case, both Kyari and his co-defendants could interfere with some of the vital witnesses or undermine their prosecution, if released on bail.

"The defendants have yet to present me with sufficient materials to justify the grant of the new applications. As a result, the applications are denied, and my previous order for accelerated trial is hereby upheld," the trial Judge ruled.

Kyari, who previously led the Police Intelligence Response Team, IRT, is on trial with four members of his team: ACP Sunday J. Ubia, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirigba, and Inspector John Nuhu.