Esai Dangabar, one of the six accused persons being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a 16 criminal count charge bordering on conspiracy and criminal breach of trust for their role in defrauding the Police Pension Office to the tune of N32.8 Billion naira (Thirty Two Billion, Eight Hundred Million Naira), was on Thursday December 13, 2012, arrested for interfering with the properties which the court had ordered forfeited to the federal government.

Among properties belonging to Esai which the court ordered forfeited to the federal government on interim basis pending the determination of the substantive suit are: Block of 3 Bedrooms flats at Gwarinpa (6 units), along EFAB Estate, Life Camp; a Block of Bedrooms flats (6 units) at Mabushi District, beside ministry of works; Estate of 4 Bedroom Duplexes (16 units), behind Wuye Modern Market, Abuja; a mini Estate at No.19, Ukpabi Asika Street, Asokoro, Abuja; 12 Units of 2 bedroom Flats at 1, Waziri Ibrahim Crescent, Gudu District, Abuja; 5 Bedroom Duplexes 1, Waziri Ibrahim Crescent, Gudu District, Abuja; 4 Bedroom Bungalows at 1, Waziri Ibrahim Crescent, Gudu District, Abuja and 2 Bedroom flat at Zone C, Apo Resettlement, layout.

Others are: 5 Blocks of One bedroom flats at Zone C, Apo Resettlement layout, Abuja; Twin duplex of 5 bedroom & 3 rooms, 33, ML Wushishi BQ 1 Crescent, Utako, Abuja; 2 Blocks of 3 Bedroom flats, Area 3, Former NYSC Office, Abuja; 2 Bedroom , Area 2, Abuja, Behind Shopping , Complex , 3 Bedroom flats , 2 Goran village, along Adi Farms Limited, Abuja-Keffi Road; 180,000 Litres Storage Facility on a Land of about 5,000sqm, with Office Building, Workshop and 20 Loading Bay 1 Suleja, Niger State.

Vehicles belonging to Dangabar which have been ordered forfeited to the government pending the determination of the criminal charges against him were seven trucks with registration numbers XH 909 RSH; XH 910 RSH; XH 912 RSH; XH 908 RSH; XH 911; XH 913 RSH and XH 460 KUJ.

Dangabar’s bank accounts forfeited to the government were: two Damule Nigeria Limited accounts with FCMB; Damule Nigeria Limited account with Main Street Bank; E. D. Laumara with Access Bank; three account numbers of Essai Dangabar Laumara’s with Access Bank; Laumara E. Taure account with Skye Bank; three of AMD Global Logistics account with Skye Bank. Two accounts of Future Logistics Limited with Skye bank. Three accounts of Marine Logistics & Leisure Integrated in Skye Bank. Two Damule Nig Ltd accounts in Skye Bank.

Companies belonging to Dangabar and five others, forfeited to the EFCC were Halas Investment Limited; At homes; Sy- A Global Services Limited; Jidag Technical Services Limited; Damule Nigeria Limited; Marine Logistics; AMD Global Logistics; Future Logistics Ltd; Jenago Services Limited; H Takano Nigeria Limited; Noni Anthony System Limited; Saudauna Enterprise limited; Ulover International Resources Limited; Somadok Express; Kechis Water Bottling Company; Kechis Events Managers; Kechis Straw; Kechis Plastic Extrusion company; Geopet Petroleum Services Limited; Aina Farms: Otega Farms, Bannachi Global Links and Comm. Co. Limited.

But Dangabar approached the Court of Appeal, Abuja division to challenge the order of the High Court to have his properties forfeited. The appeal court, in a unanimous ruling on July 24, 2012, dismissed his application. In a ruling read by Justice Kolawole Bada, the Appeal Court resolved the three issues raised by Dangabar in favour of the EFCC. Two other justices who held the same view were Justices Bukar Chua and Husseini Mukhtar. The court ruled that the interim forfeiture order pending the hearing of the criminal charge preferred against him is provided for under the EFCC Act. “The court, having been given that power, the exercise of it has not taken away the accused right to fair hearing”, the three justices reasoned.

The court further ruled that the provisions of Section 28 and 29 of the EFCC Act is validated by Section 44 (2) of the 1999 Constitution and is therefore constitutional. Additionally, the court ruled that the presumption of innocence cannot be interpreted to allow a suspect to retain the proceed of the alleged crime made against him. Accordingly, the court ruled that Section 34 of the EFCC Act was substantially complied with by the lower court. He has again proceeded to the Supreme Court challenging the Appeal Court judgement.

Dangabar and his co travellers returned to the high court to challenge jurisdiction and prayed the court to quash the charges against them. But on November 12, 2012, Justice Mohammed Talba of High Court of the Federal Capital Territory , sitting in Gudu, Abuja dismissed the applications to quash charges as the judge said the applicants failed to supply relevant material before the court to warrant the quashing of the case against them. He also said that so far, based on the proof of evidence before the court, the prosecution has presented his case in such a way that a prima-facie has been established against them.

While the public has been warned to stay away from the aforementioned properties and other properties belonging to other accused being investigated by the EFCC, trial in the substantive case of Dangabar and others who were arraigned on May 28, 2012, comes up on January 28, 2013.

Information available to NEWS TRUST indicates that a Delta state Mass Transit bus has crashed while conveying passengers from Uduaghan park in Sapele to Warri. The information says all passengers on board got perished in the crash. Contrary to the initial information that it was a bus belonging to Delta Line that crashed, the accident actually involved a Delta state Mass Transit bus, as a source speaking on behalf of Delta Line denied that the bus belong to Delta Line. The source confirmed that a state transit bus crashed around Ore, after Sapele in a sharp corner few meters from a filling station, killing all passengers on board.

In its efforts to ensure steady and sufficient petroleum products supply across the country, the Pipelines Products Marketing Company (PPMC) has indicated its readiness to resume effective pumping of products to the Ibadan, Ilorin and Ore depots as soon as the on-going test-run exercise was completed.

According to a reliable source in the subsidiary of the giant Nigeria National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC), the delays in resuming the supply to the affected depots is to ensure that no part of the pipeline network is leaking, adding that the company has commenced the pumping of products to Ejigbo and Mosimi through the System 2B pipeline, which was vandalised in August at Arepo, Ogun.

“We are assuring Nigerians that we are making frantic efforts to ensure steady supply of petroleum products across the country so that motorists can drive into any filling station and buy fuel without queuing up, especially during this period of the year that comes with a lot of holidays and festivities,” he said.

According to him, the company has increased the number of allocations and truck loadings to all the geo-political zones of the country, a measure she said would be sustained till the first quarter of next year.

“Our strategy is to make sure that there are adequate supplies to all the filling stations so that for those who are travelling and those who will return back to the cities after the festive period will not queue to buy fuel in any filling station. But for us to achieve this, we need the collaboration of all, from the marketers to the motorists.

“We implore all the independent marketers to desist from hoarding of the products as adequate arrangement has been made to ensure steady supplies and motorists to desist from panic-buying during the yuletide period. We have sufficient petroleum products in stock to take care of the nation’s demands,” he stated.

Meanwhile he also disclosed that security agencies have promised to deploy massive securities personnel to all petroleum pipelines across the country to curb vandalism.

“In other to curb incessant pipeline vandalism and to improve on fuel supply across the country, the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies have promised to beef up security on the NNPC/PPMC pipeline network,’’ he said.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Investment, Senator Nenadi Esther Usman has described the death of late Governor Patrick Yakowa as the “end of a bridge-builder in Kaduna State.”

Yakowa died in a military chopper on his return from the burial of the father of Presidential aide, Oronto Douglas which held in Bayelsa State last Saturday.

A distraught Senator Usman, who represents Kaduna South Senatorial District, said with the death of Yakowa, Kaduna State has lost “an illustrious son who cared deeply for the people and was passionate about the socio-economic re-engineering of the state.

“The death of Yakowa is a great loss because he was passionate about Kaduna State and worked assiduously towards making the state a safe haven for all regardless of creed or religion.

“I am particularly saddened because I worked closely with him and knew his vision for Kaduna State but who are we to question God? Death is an inevitable end but we thank God for the time he was able to work for the people.”

Usman also condoled with the government of Bayelsa State over the death of former National Security Adviser, General Andrew Owoye Azazi, who died alongside Yakowa in the ill-fated crash.

Abia governor, Chief Theodore Orji has debunked the rumored death of Enugu state governor, Sullivan Chime.

The governor in a statement by his chief press secretary, Ugochukwu Emezue said that Chime is hale and hearty.

According to the governor, those peddling the rumors should refrain from such act as death is not what one should wish a fellow human being.

The governor made it clear that he has been in touch with Chime, stating that he will return soon.

He urged Enugu citizens to remain calm as their governor is in good condition.