A court has ordered the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to produce the airport staff roster relevant to the cocaine trafficking case involving DCP Abba Kyari.
The judicial directive requires the agency to disclose the list of personnel on duty at the airport during the period the illicit substances were allegedly being transported. This order is expected to provide critical evidence regarding which security officials were responsible for screening processes at the time of the incident.
The decision follows a strategic move by Kyari’s legal team to challenge the allegations against him. Kyari, a suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), is seeking to prove that the security breach occurred during the initial checks conducted by NDLEA officers, rather than through his own unit.
Allegations of complicity in airport security
The defence presented by Kyari maintains that two drug traffickers were cleared through airport security checkpoints by NDLEA officials before they were eventually intercepted. According to his legal argument, members of his Intelligence Response Team (IRT) were the ones who ultimately arrested the suspects, but the traffickers had already successfully bypassed official drug enforcement protocols.
By obtaining the staff roster, Kyari intends to identify the specific NDLEA officers who were manning the checkpoints during the window of the alleged trafficking. His legal team aims to demonstrate that these officers were complicit in allowing the contraband to pass through the airport undetected, thereby distancing Kyari and the IRT from the initial security failure.
The case has placed intense scrutiny on the coordination between the Nigeria Police Force and the NDLEA during high-stakes security operations. The involvement of the IRT, a specialised police unit, highlights the complexity of managing drug trafficking networks within Nigeria’s transit hubs.
If the roster confirms that the officers on duty failed to detect the cocaine, it could trigger internal investigations within the NDLEA. For Kyari, the documents represent a vital component of his attempt to clear his name of direct involvement in the trafficking ring.
The NDLEA is expected to comply with the court’s directive in the coming sessions, which will determine whether the administrative records of the agency can corroborate the claims made by the suspended police officer.
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