Former Governors of Plateau and Taraba states, Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, have been released from Kuje Prison where they were serving various jail terms for sundry offences as governors.
The duo, alongside 157 others were granted presidential pardon in April, 2022.
The New Diplomat had reported that President Muhammadu Buhari on April 14 approved the pardon of 159 convicts including Dariye and Nyame who were separately convicted for stealing N1.16bn and N1.6bn respectively.
Both men were convicted by Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in 2018.
Though the pardon generated lots of backlash from several Nigerians, the convicted governors were eventually released on Monday.
Speaking on the development, the spokesman of the Federal Capital Territory FCT Command of the Nigeria Prisons Service, Humphrey Chukwuedo said the pardoned convicts were delayed freedom over some certain technical issues.
The spokesman explained that the Service could not just release them based on verbal pronouncements.
“There was a process of documentation when they came. We received certain written instructions to that effect. So, we could not just release them without also receiving written instructions to they effect. It is a procedure”, he stated.
