Four months after pardon, Dariye, Nyame released from prison

Two former state governors, Joshua Dariye of Plateau and Jolly Nyame of Taraba, have been released from the correctional facility in Kuje council area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

This is coming about four months after the former governors were granted state pardon.

Dariye and Nyame were among 159 inmates pardoned at a council of state meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in April.

The two former governors, jailed for fraud, were granted pardon on the grounds of age and ill health.

Nyame was convicted in 2018 and given 14 years imprisonment for diverting public funds, but his sentence was later reduced to 12 years in 2020, following a ruling by the supreme court which affirmed the judgment of the court of appeal on the matter.

On his part, Dariye was sentenced to 14 years in prison for N1.126 billion fraud, but his jail term was reduced by four years, following a verdict by the supreme court affirming an earlier judgment by the court of appeal.

Dariye, who was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for N1.16 billion fraud, was on June 12, 2018 sentenced to 14 years in prison for criminal breach of trust and  two years in addition for misappropriation of public funds, both to run concurrently.

Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the FCT court before, whom he was standing trial for a 23-count amended charge, found him guilty of 15 of the counts bordering on criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of public funds but discharged him on eight.

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Dariye was first arraigned on July 13, 2007 at the High Court after which he proceeded to the Appeal court with an application to quash all the charges but were all dismissed.

The court ordered accelerated hearing of the fraud case against him, thus necessitating the continuation of trial on January 25, 2016, before Justice Banjoko.

In addition to his sentencing, Justice Banjoko also ordered that the N80 million recovered by the EFCC be forfeited to the state government’s coffers.

The state pardon had generated controversy, with some persons insisting it would not send the right message on the fight against corruption.

However, the presidency had defended the decision, saying it was done in the interest of fairness.

Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, had said, “While it is natural that the cases of the ex-governors — two among many — would excite political analysts, coming at a time when elections are in the air, the President would at the same time have come across as insensitive and cruel to most people were he to have ignored very compelling cases recommended for pardon made to him because someone is a former Governor.

“Even Governors have the right to be treated fairly under the law. President Buhari assures the nation that nothing done here was intended to achieve a political end or send a revisionist message on the relentless war against corruption which he has ably and evidently led by personal examples.”