Suspended DCP Abba Kyari Denies Ownership of Properties Linked to Him
By Erewunmi Peace
The suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, on Tuesday denied owning several properties that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has linked to him in the ongoing asset-disclosure trial before the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Kyari testified as the first defence witness (DW-1) before Justice James Omotosho that some of the disputed properties actually belong to his late father, who reportedly fathered about 30 children.
He denied owning a large polo ground in Borno State which the NDLEA alleged is tied to him, stating that “Even Dangote, who is the richest man in Nigeria, does not own such a property; how much more someone like me.”
He admitted to owning a farmland along the Abuja–Kaduna Road and holding domiciliary accounts in banks (UBA, Access, GTB). He said the £7,000 in his account was declared in line with the law.
He denied involvement in the arrest of two drug traffickers at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, saying NDLEA officers at the airport were implicated instead.
The NDLEA is prosecuting Kyari along with his brothers Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari on a 23-count charge (FHC/ABJ/CR/408/2022) alleging failure to disclose assets, disguising property ownership, and conversion of funds.
On 28 October the court dismissed a no-case submission filed by the defence, ruling that a prima facie case had been made out. Importantly, that ruling does not equate to guilt — the defendants are still presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The hearing has been adjourned for continuation on 5 November.
Kyari’s denial concerns ownership claims, but the matter remains sub-judice. The court has not yet adjudicated on the substantive merits of the ownership allegations.
The source documents for some of the properties are stated to be with the Borno State Ministry of Lands, according to Kyari’s defence.
The headline allegation concerns non-disclosure of assets under the NDLEA Act and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, not solely the ownership of property per se.
