Abba Kyari Trial: Court Admits Video Alleging Drug Traffickers Bypassed Airport Checks With Help From NDLEA Officers
Abba Kyari Trial: Court Admits Video Alleging Drug Traffickers Bypassed Airport Checks With Help From NDLEA Officers
The trial of suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, took a fresh turn at the Federal High Court in Abuja after a video allegedly containing confessional statements from two convicted drug traffickers was admitted as evidence.
The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, allowed the video to be tendered by the defence despite objections raised by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The court subsequently marked the recording as an exhibit and adjourned proceedings for the video to be played during the continuation of the trial.
During the hearing, a police inspector who testified as a defence witness told the court that the video featured statements made by two traffickers who were earlier charged alongside Kyari. According to the witness, the suspects alleged that some officials helped them bypass security checks at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport after they arrived from Ethiopia with a substance suspected to be cocaine.
The witness further told the court that the traffickers claimed they used signals with certain officers at the airport to pass through screening points without being stopped. The suspects were later arrested by members of the police Intelligence Response Team during an operation that led to the discovery of the illicit substance.
Kyari and four other police officers are currently facing charges related to the alleged handling of about 21.35 kilograms of cocaine brought into Nigeria in January 2022. They have all pleaded not guilty and continue to defend themselves as the trial progresses.
