Abba Kyari trial: Court forecloses defense witness testimony

The Federal High Court in Abuja has foreclosed the evidence of the second defense witness, Inspector John Nwonke, in the trial of suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari and four other officers. The ruling was issued by Justice Emeka Nwite following the witness's repeated failure to appear in court.

Prosecution counsel Joseph Sunday, representing the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), argued that a letter submitted by the witness citing ill health should be disregarded, as it failed to specify the nature of the illness or the hospital involved.

Kyari, the former head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), is facing eight-count charges involving the alleged tampering of cocaine recovered from drug traffickers at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu. While two of the defendants, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, have pleaded guilty and been convicted, Kyari and the four remaining officers—ACP Sunday J. Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Insp. Simon Agirgba, and Insp. John Nuhu—have pleaded not guilty.