A lady, identified as wife of the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Abba Kyari, on Monday, fainted at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
She slumped on the ground shortly after trial Justice Emeka Nwite deferred ruling on applications that DCP Kyari and six other persons facing drug trafficking charge with him, filed to be released on bail pending the determination of the case against them.
The middle aged woman, who wore a black Hijab, fell on the floor while armed operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, were leading Kyari and the others away from the court premises.
Though she appeared lifeless on the floor, she was quickly carried up and rushed inside one of the offices on the third floor of the court by some officials of the NDLEA and lawyers.
The Vanguard reported that as at the time of filing this report, 11.07am, efforts were on to secure an inhaler for her, even as one of the women that accompanied her to the court, hinted that she was asthmatic.
The NDLEA had on Monday, urged the court to deny Kyari and all the other Defendants bail.
It told the court that Kyari, who hitherto headed the Police Intelligence Response Team, IRT, would excape from the country and make himself unavailable for trial, should he be released from custody.
Court fixes March 28 for ruling on Abba kyari, others’ bail plea
Meanwhile, the court fixed March 28 for ruling in a bail application filed by suspended DCP Abba Kyari and others.
The judge fixed the date after counsel to the prosecution and defence argued their applications for and against the bail plea.
NAN reports that Justice Nwite had, on March 7, fixed today for the hearing of the bail application, after the defendants took their plea to the eight-count charge filed against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The allegations bordered on drug trafficking.
Kyari and other police officers in the matter had pleaded not guilty to the counts preferred against them.
While Kyari pleaded not guilty to counts one, two, three, four and eight levelled against him, the other four police officers, who are defendants in the trial, also pleaded not guilty to counts one, two, three and four filed against them.
But Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, who are 6th and 7th defendants respectively, pleaded guilty to counts five, six and seven preferred against them.
Although their names were also mentioned in counts three and four where allegations bordering on conspiracy were leveled against Kyari and others, they were not ask to take a plea on these two counts.
The four members of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/57/2022 include ACP Sunday J. Ubia, ASP Bawa James, Insp. Simon Agirigba and Insp. John Nuhu.
Umeibe and Ezenwanne are the two alleged drug traffickers that were arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu.
Kyari and his co-defendant, ACP Sunday Ubia, had asked the court to admit them to bail.
Kyari and Ubia, through their lawyer, Mahmud Magaji, told the judge while arguing the bail application
Magaji, who said the offences with which Kyari and Ubia are being charged are bailable ones, also said that the constitution gave the court the discretionary power to do so.
However, counsel to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Joseph Sunday, a director of Prosecution and Legal Services, opposed the bail application.
Also, counsel to other police officers in the matter, also urged the court to grant their clients bail.
NAN / Vanguard
