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Court grants bail to Galaxy Transport MD

Published

7 years ago

July 4, 2019

Justice Venchak Gaba of the High Court, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting in Kwali Area Council, on Wednesday granted bail to the Managing Director of Galaxy Transport and Construction Services Ltd, Babagana Dalori, on the condition he signs a N5 million bond.

Delivering ruling on the bail application filed by Counsel to Dalori, Chief Joe Kyari Gadzama (SAN), Gaba also ordered the managing director to submit his international passport to the court.

The judge also held that the defendant must provide two sureties with N5 million each; adding that one of the sureties must be resident in his personal house while the other must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court.

According to him, the essence of the bail is to enable the defendant prepare adequately for his defence, adding that an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“I have gone through the processes before this court and all the provisions cited therein and when an accused person is arraigned before the court, he is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

“Bail issues are always at the discretion of the court and the essence of bail is to enable the defendant attend to proceedings and to enable him prepare adequately for his defence.

“In this light, I have exercised my discretion in granting the defendant bail in the sum of N5 million and two sureties in like some.

“The defendant is to deposit his international passport in the custody of the court,’’ he held.

Earlier, Gadzama (SAN) prayed the court to grant the defendant bail on liberal terms since he has never had any criminal record.

“The applicant has no criminal record. When the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invited them, they submitted themselves voluntarily.

“If the application is granted, they will make themselves available for trial in the next adjourned date.

“The defendant submitted themselves since March 29 and has been in incarceration since then.

“He has never interfered with the investigation and he will never interfere with the investigation,’’ he said.

The EFCC arraigned the 35-year-old Dalori alongside his Galaxy Transport and Construction Company on a alleged one-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N10 million from one Abubakar Hajara.
However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge, prompting the prosecuting counsel, Maryam Aminu Ahmed, to pray the court to remand the suspect in prison custody, pending the commencement of trial.

The one-count charge reads: “That you, Babagana Abba Dalori and Galaxy Transportation and Construction Services Limited, sometime in 2016 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court with intent to defraud.
“To obtain the sum of N10,000,000.00 from one Abubakar Hajara under the false pretence that the money would be invested in the business of buying and selling of special trip(s) of excavated sand.

“Which pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”

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AWESSA 2026: Customs Assures Border Cooperation for Women Entrepreneurs

Published

8 hours ago

October 25, 2026

The Gleamer

By James Samuel, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service has said the nation’s borders must become gateways of opportunity for African women entrepreneurs, not obstacles that kill their businesses.

This was disclosed at the African Women’s Economic Sovereignty Summit and Awards (AWESSA) 2026 held at the Customs House, corporate headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service in Abuja.

Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, his representative, an Assistant Controller, said hosting the summit inside Customs premises was deliberate.

“That this summit holds within the Customs premises is no accident. It is a statement of intent,” he said.

“The border is where the promise of every African trader either comes alive or dies quietly. And the men and women of this Service have resolved that for every woman entrepreneur of this continent, that promise will never die.”

He said women account for an estimated 70% of informal cross-border trade in Africa and over half of agricultural labour, yet they face documentation, standards, finance and harassment challenges.

“Too often she meets the border as an obstacle rather than a gateway. Because she trades in small volumes, in cash, in informality without formal papers, capable business women are now trapped in informality, invisible to trade statistics,” he noted.

He added: “AfCFTA will not be delivered by treaties alone. It will be delivered at border posts, in conference halls, and in market stores.”

Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, represented by a Director, said women are central to Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.

According to her, NEPC’s focus is now on building export- ready competitive enterprises through programmes like the Women in Export Initiative, Export Clinic, and Zero to Export.

“Our focus is no longer on encouraging exports alone, it is on building competitive export-ready enterprises. We are supporting women to move beyond production into value addition, quality assurance, standard compliance, branding and market positioning,” she said.

She said AfCFTA offers a market of over one billion people, but women need knowledge, certifications and institutional support.

“Empowering women economically is one of the most effective tools for achieving poverty reduction, food security, job creation and inclusive growth,” she stated.

The Convener, Helen Okon, who is the Publisher of Business Review Africa & Africa Today Magazine, as well as representatives of NAFDAC DG and NEXIM Bank MD, reaffirmed commitment to supporting women-owned businesses access standards, certification and finance.

The summit, with the theme of positioning women as drivers of trade and sustainable development, is part of activities marking the International Year of the Women Farmer.

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