A Federal High Court ruling that acquitted suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari of alleged asset declaration violations has not ended his legal troubles. Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says the officer will still face trial in a separate drug trafficking case scheduled to resume later this month.

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja discharged Kyari and his co-defendants from a 23-count charge of non-declaration of assets, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish ownership of the properties cited in the case.

According to the judgment, the NDLEA did not present sufficient evidence linking Kyari to several properties allegedly tied to him in Abuja and Maiduguri.

The court noted that ownership of landed property must be proven through recognised legal methods such as title documents, acts of possession, or credible historical claims.
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Justice Omotosho held that none of these standards were met during the trial.

Kyari’s two brothers — Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari — who were accused of providing false affidavits connected to the properties, were also cleared after the court ruled that the conspiracy allegations were not supported by credible evidence.

However, the NDLEA has moved quickly to clarify that the judgment relates only to the asset declaration case.

In a statement, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the substantive drug trafficking case involving Kyari is still ongoing before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The trial is scheduled to continue on March 16, 2026.

Kyari and four other suspended police officers are accused of involvement in a cocaine trafficking operation, a case that has drawn national attention since it was first filed.

Two suspected traffickers linked to the case were previously convicted and sentenced to prison in 2022.

The NDLEA also said its legal team is reviewing the judgment and will obtain a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the ruling before deciding whether to challenge the decision on the asset case.

For now, attention is shifting back to the upcoming drug trial, which will determine whether the former police intelligence chief faces criminal liability in one of Nigeria’s most closely watched law-enforcement cases.