In a significant development, the Federal High Court in Abuja has granted former commander of the Force Intelligence Response Team, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari, a two-week bail to conclude the burial rites of his late mother, Yachilla Kyari.
Kyari, who has been in detention for 27 months, was arrested in February 2022 over drug-related charges filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The court has set Friday, May 31, as the date to determine his bail application in the ongoing trial.
Yachilla Kyari passed away in the early hours of Sunday, May 5, 2024, at the age of 68. She was survived by 10 children, including Abba Kyari, who is the eldest son. Despite being unable to attend his mother’s burial, residents of Borno State turned out in large numbers to pay their respects, and she was laid to rest according to Islamic rites on the same day.
It is worth noting that the Police Service Commission had previously suspended two of Kyari’s colleagues, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Sunday Ubua and Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) James Bawa, from the exercise of their respective powers and functions, effective February 14, 2022.
The NDLEA had also declared Kyari wanted over alleged links with an international drug cartel, with the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babalola, alleging that Kyari and his Intelligence Response Team had arrested some drug traffickers who arrived in the country from Ethiopia with 25kg of cocaine, but took 15kg of the seized substance for themselves.
As the case continues, the court’s decision to grant Kyari temporary bail to attend his mother’s burial rites is seen as a compassionate move, allowing him to fulfill his familial obligations during this difficult time.