. He’s only lying, says centre’s spokesman
Suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, on Thursday, made another bail plea before approached a Federal High Court.
Kyari’s fresh bail application followed
reported attempt on his life by some inmates at the Kuje correctional facility, Abuja.
Counsel to Kyari and three of his co-defendants urged Justice Emeka Nwite to admit them to bail, claiming that some inmates at the Kuje custodial centre posed serious threat to their lives.
Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), counsel to Kyari and suspended ACP Sunday Ubia, informed the court during Thursday’s resumed hearing that an application seeking bail for the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th defendants had been filed and also served on the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency.
Ikpeazu said the application was now imperative because of the nature of the defendants jobs as policemen.
Their counsel argued that the defendants were being remanded in the Kuje prison along with some criminals they arrested in the course of their police duty.
He said this had exposed them to risk and they should therefore be granted bail.
Kyari is being charged with drug offences alongside four other suspended police officers: ACP Ubia, ASP Bawa James, Insp Simon Agirigba and Insp. John Nuhu. They’re listed as 2nd to 5th defendants, respectively, in the case.
But while Kyari, Ubia, Agirigba and Nuhu (1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th defendants), sought a bail over alleged threat to their lives, the third defendant, ASP Bawa James, did not.
But NDLEA counsel, Sunday Joseph, opposed their bail request, insisting that the matter was scheduled for review of the facts of the 6th and 7th defendants, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, who pleaded guilty to the counts preferred against them.
They were the two alleged drug traffickers arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu.
Both of them had pleaded guilty to counts five, six and seven preferred against them and are being remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre.
It was learnt that Kyari narrowly escaped being killed by some aggrieved inmates, who accused him of arresting and prosecuting them while still in service despite the bribes they paid him to escape prosecution.
But the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), FCT Command spokesman, Humphrey Chukwuedo, said it’s not true that Kyari’s life was under threat in the Kuje custodial facility.
According to him, “There is nothing about Abba Kyari; he is not under any threat. I was with him yesterday, I was with him today before our staff started going to court.
“There is nothing about any threat. He’s not being threatened at all.”
Asked why Kyari was then in court on Thursday seeking bail over the alleged threat to his life, Chukwuedo said, “It is his right to ask for bail but his life is not being threatened.”