The duo of former governor Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame who were granted a presidential pardon by President Buhari a few months ago have been released by the authorities of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
Both former governors were serving jail terms for corruption allegations until they were granted pardons by President Buhari, a development that received a lot of negative reactions.
Recall that the Council of State led by President Muhammadu Buhari had in April approved the pardon of 159 convicts.
They both served as governors of Plateau and Taraba states respectively.
Dariye and Nyame were both jailed for stealing N1.16bn and N1.6bn, respectively.
The two former governors were convicted by Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Abuja High Court in 2018.
Dariye, who was Plateau Governor from 1999 to 2007, was sentenced to 14 years in prison. But his term was eventually reduced to 10 years by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, while his conviction was affirmed by the Supreme Court.
Rev Nyame, who was Taraba Governor from 1999 to 2007, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for stealing N1.6bn from the state’s treasury. The judgment was also upheld by the Supreme Court.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who addressed journalists after the Council of State meeting, noted that the council approved 159 out of 162 applications presented for consideration for the prerogative of mercy for convicts and inmates in correctional facilities nationwide.
