Suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari testified on Wednesday that multiple properties linked to him in the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) money laundering and asset declaration case were not personally owned but belonged to his late father and are jointly held by his 30 siblings.

Kyari made the claim during cross-examination before Justice James Omotosho at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he faces 23 counts under the NDLEA Act and the Money Laundering Prohibition Act of 2011.

Kyari, who has been in detention since 2022 and is standing trial alongside Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari, opened his defense after the court dismissed his no-case submission on October 28, ruling that a prima facie case had been established.

Responding to NDLEA counsel Sunday Joseph, Kyari stated:

“My Lord, I cannot put my interest in the property in the form because the 20 houses belong to my father and not me. If I get my percentage of share, I can put it, but until then. All the properties left behind by my father belong to all his children and we are about 30 in number.”

He explained that some of the properties had been sold to cover his father’s medical expenses and that no formal allocation of shares had occurred. Kyari also admitted to declining to fill the asset declaration form without legal counsel, citing concerns that doing so could constitute a criminal offense.

Regarding funds traced to his bank accounts, Kyari attributed them to operational support from police authorities and state governors for over 1,000 raids he supervised. He also said some funds were used to repay loans from relatives, citing delays in official reimbursements.

Justice Omotosho noted that the issue of family property ownership would be addressed in final written submissions. The court adjourned proceedings to November 12, following the NDLEA’s request for additional documentation.

The prosecution had closed its case on June 19, presenting 10 witnesses and 20 exhibits. 

The case, filed under FHC/ABJ/CR/408/2022, centers on allegations of non-declaration of assets, disguised ownership, and unlawful conversion. Kyari remains presumed innocent pending the court’s final determination.