President Muhammadu Buhari’s Council of State has approved the pardon of 159 criminals.
Joshua Dariye, the former governor of Plateau state, and Jolly Nyame, the former governor of Taraba, are among them.
Dariye and Nyame were both sentenced to prison for stealing N1.16 billion and N1.6 billion, respectively.
In 2018, Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Abuja High Court convicted the two former governors, both of whom are members of the All Progressives Congress.
Dariye, who served as Plateau Governor from 1999 to 2007, received a 14-year sentence. However, the Court of Appeal in Abuja lowered his sentence to ten years, and the Supreme Court upheld his conviction.
For Rev Nyame, who was Taraba Governor from 1999 to 2007, he 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, addressing journalists after the Council of State meeting on Thursday, 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.
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