Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Abuja, Nigeria — A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed February 26, 2026 for the delivery of judgment in the high-profile case brought by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) against suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari and his two younger brothers, who are accused of failing to disclose assets allegedly linked to them during a wide-ranging investigation. The judgment date was set on Friday by Justice James Omotosho after lawyers for the prosecution and defence adopted their final written addresses and presented closing arguments in the matter.
The criminal suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/408/2022, stems from a 23-count charge filed by the NDLEA alleging that Kyari, a former head of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), and his brothers Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari failed to make full and lawful disclosure of their assets as required by law, and engaged in the disguising and conversion of monies and properties.
Prosecutors told the court that their investigations uncovered 14 assets allegedly linked to Kyari, including shopping malls, a residential estate, a polo playground, extensive lands and farmland, spanning the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and Maiduguri in Borno State. They also alleged that substantial funds — including over ₦207 million and €17,598 — were discovered in bank accounts held with Guarantee Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa and Sterling Bank in the names of Kyari and his associates, which the agency claims were never properly declared.
The NDLEA’s case is grounded in provisions of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, which require public officers and persons involved in anti-narcotics operations to disclose their assets in a transparent manner and criminalise the concealment of wealth derived from unlawful activities.
During proceedings, the defendants pleaded not guilty to all counts, including allegations that they failed to disclose the full scope of their assets, and that they allegedly disguised ownership of certain properties. The court heard evidence from at least 10 prosecution witnesses, and more than 20 exhibits were tendered in support of the NDLEA’s case.
At an earlier stage of the trial, Kyari’s legal team filed a no-case submission after the prosecution closed its case, arguing that there was insufficient evidence linking the assets to the suspended officer. However, in October, Justice Omotosho dismissed the application, holding that the evidence before the court was sufficiently strong to require the defendants to enter their defence. Kyari subsequently opened his defence on 4 November 2025, maintaining that he declared his assets — including those of his wife — in accordance with the law, and denied ownership of several properties alleged by the NDLEA.
Kyari told the court that some of the assets identified by the agency belonged to his late father, who he stated had many children, and that he had no personal interest in, or control over, certain lands and properties referenced in the indictment. His brothers, through their counsel, indicated that they would rest their defence on the prosecution’s evidence without calling additional witnesses.
The scheduled judgment comes as Kyari also faces another separate and ongoing trial on alleged cocaine trafficking charges alongside several police officers before a different judge at the Federal High Court in Abuja, illustrating the breadth of legal challenges facing the once-prominent police officer.
Legal experts say the fate of Kyari and his co-defendants in the NDLEA asset-disclosure case will hinge on how the court weighs the agency’s evidence against the defence’s assertions, and the February 2026 judgment date is now one of the most anticipated rulings in recent Nigerian legal history. The case has drawn significant attention due to Kyari’s former high profile within the Nigeria Police Force and the broader implications for enforcement of asset-disclosure and anti-corruption laws in the country.
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