A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, granted the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency permission to further detain the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, and six others for 14 days.
Others to be detained along with Kyari are the alleged drug couriers named in the drug trafficking case involving the suspended head of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team.
Justice Zainab Abubakar gave the order for the detention of the seven suspects pending the completion of investigation into the allegations against them.
The others are Assistant Commissioner of Police Sunday Ubia; Assistant Superintendent of Police Bawa James; Inspectors Simon Agirigba and John Nuhu; as well as Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne.
Justice Abubakar gave the order after listening to the Director, Prosecution and Legal Services, NDLEA, Joseph Sunday, who moved an ex parte application to that effect.
An affidavit in support of the motion ex parte indicated that Kyari’s accomplices, Umeibe and Ezenwanne, were arrested on January 19 at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, and had admitted being drug couriers.
The affidavit stated, “The suspects were arrested upon their arrival from Addis Ababa aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET917.
“The arrest led to the recovery of a substantial quantity of a powdery substance suspected to be cocaine from the two narcotic couriers.
“The operation, which was intelligence-driven, was undertaken by a unit of the police Intelligence Response Team.”
The NDLEA had in the application asked for more time to detain Kyari and the others on the grounds that the drug trafficking allegations against them were complex and might require the agency travelling outside the country to make some clarifications.
The agency asked the court to grant the extension in the interest of justice to the agency and the suspects through diligent investigation.
In a short ruling, Justice Abubakar ordered that Kyari and the six other suspects be detained for another 14 days in the first instance and said the NDLEA could come up with a fresh request if required.
The judge said the 14-day further detention should start counting from Tuesday, February 22.
Copyright PUNCH.
