The Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed an application filed by suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, seeking an order dismissing the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) charge against him.
Kyari and three other co-defendants had filed an application asking the court to quash the criminal charge against them in fresh motions on notice filed by their lawyers.
However, in his ruling delivered on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, Justice Emeka Nwite held that the court had the exclusive right and jurisdiction to hear drug-related cases as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the NDLEA Act.
The judge also noted that the powers of the Police Service Commission did not supersede the powers of the Federal High Court, and that the case’s subject matter was within the court’s jurisdiction.
Kyari is facing 24 fresh charges filed by the NDLEA, which accused him of non-disclosure of assets and ownership of property in different locations in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and Maiduguri.
The anti-drug agency also alleged that over N207 million and 17,598 Euro were found in his various accounts in three banks.
The ruling is a setback for Kyari and his co-defendants, who had hoped that the application would lead to the dismissal of the charges against them. The case has generated a lot of interest among Nigerians, who are closely following the proceedings, and eagerly awaiting the outcome.
As the case continues, many Nigerians hope that justice will be served, and that the outcome will send a strong message that nobody is above the law, regardless of their status or position in society.
