DCP Kyari: Court bars lawyers, journalists from trial ‘to protect witness’

A federal high court in Abuja on Tuesday granted the request of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to protect the identity of a witness in a suit against Abba Kyari, suspended deputy commissioner of police.

At the court session, Sunday Joseph, NDLEA counsel, asked the judge to restrict lawyers, litigants, visitors and journalists, who are not parties in the suit, from accessing the court during the testimony of the witness.

Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, granted the application and stood down the matter to allow non-parties in the suit to exit the court.

Addressing journalists after the court session, the NDLEA lawyer said the application was to give protection to witnesses who are intelligence officers.

Joseph said the application was made in the interest of national security.

He said it had been observed that members of the inspector-general of police intelligence response team (IRT), who are loyal to Kyari, were still coming to court.

“And you don’t know who is who. So, it is for the witness’ protection,” he said.

“We are now going into the nitty-gritty of the matter and there have been allegations that we are just witch-hunting them.”

Kyari is standing trial alongside four members of his team — Sunday Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu — on an eight-count charge of drug trafficking.