VANGUARD
The detained Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Abba Kyari, who is facing a drug trafficking charge, yesterday challenged the powers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, to prosecute him.
Kyari, who hitherto headed the Police Intelligence Response Team, IRT, is on trial for allegedly tampering with cocaine that was seized from two convicted drug peddlers- Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne.
He is answering to an eight-count charge the NDLEA preferred him and four members of his team; ACP Sunday J. Ubia, ASP Bawa James, Insp. Simon Agirigba and Insp. John Nuhu.
At the resumed proceedings in the matter on Wednesday, Kyari, through his lawyer, Mr Nureni Jimoh, SAN, maintained that the charge against him was legally defective.
He told the court that the charge was premature, insisting that the NDLEA ought to have allowed police to exhaust its internal machinery before it instituted the action.
He told the court that the Police had already commenced an investigation into allegations against him and issued an interim report.
Kyari, maintained that he could only be charged to court upon conclusion of the internal investigation by the police…
