The embattled and suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Abba Kyari, who is facing drug trafficking charge, Thursday, begged the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to release him on bail, alleging a threat to his life.
Kyari, through his team of lawyers led by Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, told the court that he is feeling unsafe at the Kuje Correctional Center where he said he was being remanded with hardened criminals.
Ikpeazu said the fresh application for the court to reconsider the request his client earlier made for bail pending the determination of the charge against him, became necessary, considering the nature of assignments he undertook while performing his duties as a police officer.
According to the defence lawyer, some of the inmates on remand at the Kuje Correctional Center, were people that Kyari’s team at the Police Intelligence Response Team, IRT, made their arrest possible.
Aside from DCP Kyari, three other police officers that are equally on trial over the alleged offence- ACP Sunday J. Ubia, Insp. Simon Agirigba and Insp. John Nuhu- also begged the court to okay their release on bail on safety grounds.
However, the 3rd defendant in the matter, Bawa James, who is an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, did not join them in the application.
Meanwhile, counsel for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Mr. Sunday Joseph, urged the court to refuse the bail request by the defendants.
The prosecution counsel maintained that the matter was originally slated for the review of facts of the case relating to two self-confessed drug traffickers, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwane, who were linked to the suspended DCP, Kyari.
Both Umeibe and Ezenwanne, who were cited as 6th and 7th Defendants in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/57/2022, were arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu while attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country.
They had on March 7, when they were arraigned alongside Kyari, pleaded guilty to the drug trafficking charge.
Kyari, who pleaded innocence to the charge against him, had contended that reviewing facts of the case or sentencing Umeibe and Ezenwanne, while his trial is still ongoing, would be prejudicial to him.
He further drew attention of the court to the fact that both Umeibe and Ezenwanne were also mentioned in some counts in the charge that involved him and the other accused police officers.
