Dariye, Nyame To Leave Prison As Buhari Pardons Ex-Govs, 157 Others 

Former Governors Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, who are serving jail terms for corruption, are set to leave prison after being pardoned by President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday. 

The pardon of the former governors and 157 others was ratified at the Council of State meeting presided over by President Buhari at the State House, Abuja. 

The meeting had in attendance former military heads of state and past presidents, including GAbdusalami Abubakar, Goodluck Jonathan, and Yakubu Gowon.

Among those pardoned are a former military general and minister under the Sani Abacha regime, Tajudeen Olanrewaju, an army lieutenant colonel, Akiyode, who was an aide of former deputy to General Abacha, Oladipo Diya; and all the junior officers jailed over the failed 1990 Gideon Orkar coup, Premium Times reports, quoting a Presidency source. 

Dariye, former Plateau State governor, was in 2018 sentenced to 14 years‘ imprisonment by the FCT Federal High Court after an 11-year trial for corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).  But the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja reduced the 14-year sentence to 10 years.

Nyame was similarly sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment by the FCT High Court on May 30, 2018 over diversion of public funds. 

The former Taraba governor’s sentence was, however, reduced to 12 years by the Court of Appeal in Abuja 

The duo’s pardons were said to have been granted on the basis of their failing health and age.