The Federal High Court on Thursday acquitted suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, and his two brothers of charges relating to alleged non-disclosure of assets.

Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho dismissed the case filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), ruling that the prosecution failed to prove its allegations beyond reasonable doubt.

The judge held that the burden of proof rests with the prosecution and concluded that the NDLEA did not establish sufficient evidence to support the charges. He described the case against Kyari and his brothers as “persecution” and consequently discharged and acquitted them.

Kyari, a former head of the Police Intelligence Response Team, was charged alongside his younger brothers, Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari, in a 23-count charge filed by the NDLEA.

The anti-narcotics agency had alleged that the defendants failed to fully disclose assets, claiming it uncovered 14 properties linked to Kyari, including shopping malls, a residential estate, a polo playground, as well as lands and farmland in the Federal Capital Territory and Maiduguri, Borno State.

Prosecutors also alleged that more than ₦207 million and €17,598 were found in accounts linked to Kyari in several banks, including Guaranty Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa, and Sterling Bank.

The NDLEA further accused the defendants of disguising ownership of properties and converting funds, offences it said were punishable under relevant provisions of the NDLEA Act and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.

However, the three defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges during the trial. Following the court’s ruling, they were formally discharged and acquitted.