Dariye's days are numbered. Its a matter of time before we know the whole story.

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) intensified its efforts to bring the Plateau State Governor, Chief Joshua Chibi Dariye, to book over alleged financial impropriety as it yesterday charged him (Dariye) and six others to an Abuja High Court for allegedly embezzling the sum of N700 million state fund.

But Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria was Governor Dariye's saving grace as it foreclosed his arraignment, whereas six others, including the State Finance Commissioner and the Permanent Secretary in the Finance Ministry of the state were arraigned.

They were arraigned on a seven-count charge.

According to the charge sheet, they were alleged to have diverted various sums of money belonging to the state into the private account of an unregistered company.

Those arraigned at the court before Justice Abimbola Banjoko yesterday include: Nuhu Ali Madaki, the Accountant-General of the state; Shem Yemte Damisa, former Accountant-General of the state and Emmanuel Agati, the state's Commissioner for Finance.

Others are: Joseph Magaji Azi, Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Finance; Silas Vongbut, Director of Finance in the ministry and Semshak Semlek, a deputy director.

All the accused pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Counsel to EFCC, Mr. Ben Ubi, told the court immediately after the charges were read to the accused persons and their plea taken, that Governor Dariye was not arraigned with other accused persons because of the constitutional immunity he enjoys as a governor.

He asked the court to fix a date for trial. He also urged the court to make an order that all the accused persons should be remanded in prison.

He said it is in the interest of the people of Plateau State that justice is done in the case.

Counsel to all the accused persons, Mr. Garbi Puul, did not object to the submission of EFCC counsel that all the accused persons should be tried.

He, however, made an oral application to the court that all the accused persons be granted bail.

Puul said: "I have no objection to the trial of the accused persons. We were served with the charges yesterday (Wednesday).

"The accused have been in EFCC custody and were not allowed to see their counsel.

"The Plateau State government will ensure that they are present in court for trial. I urge the court to grant them bail".

He said it was not mentioned in the charge that any of the accused benefited from the money.

But Justice Banjoko directed the counsel to file a formal application for bail and remanded all accused persons in prison custody.

The seven-count charge preferred against the accused persons, read thus:

Count 1: That you Shem Yemte Damisa, Nuhu Ali Madaki, Emmanuel Agati, Silas Vongbut, Joseph Madaki Azi, Semshak Semlek and Chief Joshua Dariye (now under immunity) on or about 3rd May, 2001 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory being public officers of Plateau State and in such capacities entrusted with certain properties to wit: Plateau State Government statutory allocation committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said properties by lodging N204,000,000.00 (Two hundred and four million naira) into the private account of an unregistered company known as Ebenezer Retnan Venture whose alter ego is Chief Joshua Dariye from the said properties and thereby committed an offence punishable under S.315 of the Penal Code Act Cap 523 Laws of Federation of Nigeria 1990.

Count 2: That you Nuhu Ali Madaki and Chief Joshua Dariye (now under immunity) on or about 14th April, 2003 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory being public officers and in such capacities entrusted with certain properties to wit: Funds of Plateau State Government committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said properties by lodging the sum of N6,000,000.00 (Six million naira) into the private account of an unregistered company known as Ebenezer Retnan Venture whose alter ego is Chief Joshua Dariye from the said properties and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act Cap Laws of Federation of Nigeria 1990.

Count 3: That you Nuhu Ali Madaki and Chief Joshua Dariye (now under immunity) on or about 25th January 2001 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory being public officers and in such capacities entrusted with certain properties to wit: Funds of Plateau State Government committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said properties by lodging the sum of N6,000,000.00 (Six million naira) into the private account of an unregistered company known as Ebenezer Retnan Venture whose alter ego is Chief Joshua Dariye from the said properties and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act Cap 523 Laws of Federation of Nigeria 1990.

Count 4: That you Shem Yemte Damisa, Nuhu Ali Madaki, Emmanuel Agati, Silas Vongbut, Joseph Madaki Azi, Semshak Semlek and Chief Joshua Dariye (now under immunity) on or about 19th July, 2001 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory being public officers of Plateau State) and in such capacities entrusted with certain properties to wit: Plateau State Government Ecological Funds committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said properties by lodging the sum of N176,000,000.00 (One hundred and seventy-six million naira) into the private account of an unregistered company known as Ebenezer Retnan Venture whose alter ego is Chief Joshua Dariye from the said properties and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act Cap 523 Laws of Federation of Nigeria 1990.

Count 5: That you Shem Yemte Damisa, Nuhu Ali Madaki, Emmanuel Agati, Silas Vongbut, Joseph Madaki Azi, Semshak Semlek and Chief Joshua Dariye (now under immunity) on or about 25th March, 2003 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory being public officers and in such capacities entrusted with certain properties to wit: Funds of Plateau State Government committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said properties by lodging the sum of N10,000,000.00 (Ten million naira) into the private account of an unregistered company known as Ebenezer Retnan Venture whose alter ego is Chief Joshua Dariye from the said properties and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act Cap 523 Laws of Federation of Nigeria 1990.

Count 6: That you Shem Yemte Damisa, Nuhu Ali Madaki, Emmanuel Agati, Silas Vongbut, Joseph Madaki Azi, Semshak Semlek and Chief Joshua Dariye (now under immunity) on or about 14th April, 2003 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory being public officers and in such capacities entrusted with certain properties to wit: funds of Plateau State Government committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said properties by lodging the sum of N25,000,000.00 (Twenty Five Million Naira) into the private account of an unregistered company known as Ebenezer Retnan Venture whose alter ego is Chief Joshua Dariye from the said properties and thereby committed an offence punishable under S.315 of the Penal Code Act Cap 523 Laws of Federation of Nigeria 1990.

Count 7

That you Shem Yemte Damisa, and Chief Joshua Dariye (Now under immunity) on or about 6th April, 2001 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory dishonestly converted to your own use certain properties to wit: N273,000,000.00 (Two Hundred and Seventy Three Million) belonging to the Plateau State Government and thereby committed an offence punishable under S.309 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of Federation of Nigeria 1990.

However, Dariye yesterday told the management and participants of Senior Executive Course 28 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, that his administration will not surrender to blackmail or intimidation but remain focused and visionary.

Dariye stated this when the participants visited at the Government House, Rayfiled, Jos. He pointed out that in politics, people attack policies and not personalities.

He renewed the determination of his administration to take people of the State to the promised land, saying that the philosophy of the administration's re-engineering agenda is to leave the state better than it met it.

He used the occasion to advise against the use of religion and ethnicity by politicians to divide the people, stressing that such acts negate national unity.

Director-General of NIPSS, Prof. Akin Akindoyeni, who was represented by the study group Director, James Kolawole, commended the governor and the state government for their continued assistance to the institute and participants over the years.








http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article01

LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria's anti-graft agency has filed fresh charges against central Plateau state governor, accusing him of stealing 700 million naira (3 million pounds) in public funds, according to a charge sheet published on Friday.

The Financial and Economic Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Joshua Dariye, who fled a British investigation into money laundering in 2004, embezzled the money between 2001 and 2003 in connivance with six top officials of the state.

Dariye, who is constitutionally immune from prosecution in Nigeria while in office, was not in court on Thursday when the charges were filed.

The six officials pleaded not guilty to the seven charges drawn against them and Justice Abimbola Banjoko ordered them to be remanded in prison. No date was fixed for hearing.

This is the EFCC's second attempt to prosecute Dariye since he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police with $175,000 (100,000 pounds) in cash in London in September 2004. He failed to report to police for questioning and returned to Nigeria where he has constitutional immunity.

Dariye and some bank directors are facing charges in another court of laundering more than 1 billion naira, but the case has stalled since 2005 because of the governor's immunity.

The federal government released a dossier in 2004 detailing alleged embezzlement by Dariye -- the first hard evidence of looting by a senior elected Nigerian official in five years -- but efforts to get the state house of assembly to impeach and strip him of his immunity have so far failed.

Dariye, a second term governor and member of the ruling People's Democratic Party, said in comments published in local newspapers last week that part of the funds were used to finance the re-election campaign of President Olusegun Obasanjo and some party topshots in 2003.

The presidency has denied this.

The fresh charges against Dariye followed the impeachment in December of Diepreye Alamieyeseigha as governor of the oil-producing state of Bayelsa in the Niger Delta.

The ex-governor, who had earlier jumped bail in London where he was facing money laundering charges and escaped to Nigeria, is now facing charges of stealing $55 million in public funds. He has pleaded not guilty.

His arrest was a major boost to Obasanjo's campaign against graft, an endemic problem in the world's eighth largest oil exporter.

But the president's critics accuse him of selective justice, saying his searchlight is directed only at perceived opponents. The presidency denies the charge.

The EFCC has targeted other state governors -- powerful figures who control about half of Nigeria's oil money -- but efforts to investigate the source of their wealth have been frustrated by their immunity.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-02-17T131057Z_01_L17596285_RTRUKOC_0_UK-CRIME-NIGERIA-GOVERNOR.xml&archived=False

immunity immunity that is all we ear if obasonjo wants to fight crime he should remove this so called immunity why would a governor be treated like a god so that means they do what ever they like and immunity will protect them it is fustrating every one should be able to be tried in the court of law

Obansanjo can't change the law that is what the senate and the national assembly are for, and i hope they change the immunity nonsence before this politicians kill poor people.

Does anybody know why the immunity law came to be?

It seems to me immunity is nothing more than carte blanc for governors to steal.  If a common criminal steals a N10,000 radio, he's jailed.  But if a governor steals N700 million naira, he has immunity.

The fact that the cases of corruption among governors is very rampant, should create a sense of urgency among our legislators of a need to remove this immunity crap.

Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa

Joshua Dariye of Plateau state

Don't you just want to vomit looking at these crooks?

oasis that is the right work crooks

Let alone immunity clause is good.Without it all our governors and even the president would be answering one case or the other in court.They would spend the better part of their tenure in court rather than in office.In other countries,e.g;Benin republic even commissioners and ministers are protected by immunity.
Its up to Plateau state people and house of assembly to get Darieye out of office.

I'm sick and tired of people accepting falsehood as truth. Isn't it time you folks wake up to the realities of the moment? OBJ is out on a corruption cleansing campaign against those who are not in his good book. Those who will not be his goons and bootlickers.

You people should please get[b] that [/b] stucked up somewhere and stop disturbing the peace

While it may take falsehold a lifetime to sojourn, truth will catch up with it in an instant. When EFCC was created by OBJ, everybody hailed the move as a welcome development to rid the polity of corruption. But the citizens now know better. It has become clear that the government, nay, OBJ is only using EFCC to settle political score with perceived enemies of his 3rd term ambition.

Abeem that is not tru of OBJ using EFCC to go after the 3rd term opposition groups, Tafa Balogun is not a politician, Alam is not against OBJ

Alams may not be against OBJ but Dariye, I do not think so. Did you read in the newspapers (This Day) in which Dariye is calling for a truce with the presidency? You are right to some extent but the point is, the EFCC is selective in their prosecution because "the hand is that of Esau but the voice is that of Jacob". Has Olabode George beien prosecuted? (Remember Ports Authority scams) What about Mantu? (Hajj Scam and part loot from ecology fund from Plateau State diverted to PDP for the 2003 elections campaign fund) And Anenih? ( the 300 billion supposedly spent on roads that cannot be accounted for). No to all of the above. Why? They are third term agitators and close confidants of the president.
Point of correction - The office of the IG is a political office and whoever occupies that office does so at the mercy of the president. He can hire and fire him. So to say that the former IG is not a politician is far from the truth. He is a police-tician. It is an open secret that the IG bagged only six months for the economic crime preffered against him. Whatever happens to the loot amounting to 1.8billion naira? As far as know he did not forfeit the money to the FG. Why? Go and sin no more, keep your loot, don't say anything about the 2003 elections, etc.

@Abeem,
Well done man, I like that word of yours police-tician. People like Odeku needs to be tutored about the dynamics of Nigerian politics sometimes.

And all those points on Alams, Tafa, Dariye, Mantu and George are very true, to the discerning minds only.

Well done and welcome to NL.

This are all allegation, and to the best of my knowledge all this guys have been summon by EFCC for interrogation.

LOL

Na 2019 laugh catch u ba?

2019guy:
LOL

I wonder how many people know that