The trial of former Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari, who is facing allegations of failing to disclose his assets, resumed yesterday at the Federal High Court in Abuja. During the proceedings, a witness detailed how investigations uncovered that Kyari allegedly received over N200 million across 10 different bank accounts.
The witness, Mr. Ahmed Yero, a Chief Investigator with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), testified that the various bank accounts were traced using the defendant’s Bank Verification Number (BVN). He confirmed that although 12 bank accounts were linked to Kyari, two of them were found to be inactive.
As the ninth prosecution witness (PW-9), Mr. Yero told the court that on February 14, 2022, he was assigned to lead a team from the NDLEA’s Directorate of Assets & Financial Investigation to probe assets owned by Kyari.
He explained that Kyari was initially asked to declare his assets and claimed that he had only three bank accounts. However, further investigation through the BVN system, supported by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), revealed that Kyari actually operated 10 active accounts.
Yero explained that Kyari held multiple accounts, including domiciliary accounts for USD, Euro, and Pound Sterling. One of these accounts was a salary account from which Kyari received his police wages and allowances.
Upon examining the bank statements, the investigation team analyzed the transactions over a 16-year period from 2006 to 2022. The findings revealed that the inflows into these accounts exceeded the total salary and entitlements Kyari should have received from the police.
The witness added that some of the funds were transferred directly from the CBN and labeled as “operational funds.” However, a significant portion of this money was later transferred to Kyari’s family members and associates. After reviewing all the deposits, it was determined that over N200 million had been accumulated above his official earnings.
Mr. Yero further testified that Kyari refused to provide a written statement to the NDLEA, choosing instead to offer his explanation in court.
During the trial, the court accepted the defendant’s bank statements and the BVN analysis as evidence, though Kyari’s defense, led by Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, contested their admissibility and indicated they would present their reasons at a later stage.
The witness also noted that while Kyari had claimed involvement in agriculture, he did not provide any proof to support this assertion.
Under cross-examination, Mr. Yero acknowledged that Kyari was once regarded as a “super-cop” due to his work with the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), but clarified that the investigation did not assess the operations carried out by Kyari’s IRT team or the financial expenditures related to those operations.
He confirmed that while Kyari declared certain assets, such as properties in Maiduguri, he failed to disclose others, suggesting that some assets found were either inherited from his late father or owned by his wife.
The witness also acknowledged that there is no law preventing individuals from holding multiple bank accounts.
The case is set to continue on March 24, 2025, with the NDLEA planning to call two more witnesses. Kyari is facing charges along with his brothers, Mohammed and Ali Kyari, in relation to alleged attempts to conceal their assets.
Additionally, Kyari faces another charge involving his IRT team’s alleged tampering with cocaine seized from convicted drug traffickers at Enugu’s Akanu Ibiam International Airport.
Kyari and his team have pleaded not guilty to all charges and are currently remanded in prison pending the outcome of the trial.
