Kyari Defends Undeclared Assets, Says 20 Houses Belong to His 30 Siblings

Suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday that he could not declare multiple properties linked to him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) because they belonged to his late father and were jointly owned by his 30 siblings.

Opening his defence before Justice James Omotosho, Kyari testified that his late father left behind more than 20 houses in Maiduguri, Borno State, and that some had been sold to fund his father’s medical bills before his death.

Under cross-examination by NDLEA counsel, Sunday Joseph, Kyari explained his position, stating: “My Lord, I cannot put my interest about 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 when I get my own percentage. All the properties left behind by my father belong to all his children and we are about 30 in number.”

He maintained that he could not have declared the properties in his assets form since he had not received his portion, adding, “I cannot include my father’s properties in my asset-declaration form because they belong to the entire family, not me. If I get my percentage share, I can declare it, but not before then.”

Kyari is facing 23 counts for allegedly failing to fully declare his assets, disguising ownership of properties, and converting funds, charges which he denies.

The suspended police officer also addressed the millions of naira traced to his bank accounts, testifying that the funds came from operational funds released by the police and some governors for security operations. He explained that as the former Commander of the Anti-Robbery Squad and later head of the Intelligence Response Team, he supervised over 1,000 operations, with funds often routed through his account for disbursement.

When asked why funds were sent to his relatives, Kyari stated the money was used to repay loans he obtained from them to fund urgent operations due to bureaucratic delays in official releases.

Justice Omotosho noted that the question of whether family properties should be declared would be addressed in the parties’ final written addresses. The judge subsequently adjourned the matter until November 12 for the continuation of the hearing.