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Former governors of Plateau and Taraba States, Senator Joshua Dariye, and Jolly Nyame, have been released from Kuje correctional facility in Abuja.
This is coming three months after their pardon by the Council of State led by the President Muhammadu Buhari. The ex-governors were among the 159 prisoners pardoned by the Council of State on April 14.
According to reports, the former governors were set free around 2:15pm on Monday.
Also released were three other inmates from Suleja Custodial Centre in Niger State.
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) spokesperson for Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, Chukwuedo Humphrey, confirmed the release of two former governors.
Humphrey said the letter of their release was sent to the command by the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy Committee, on Monday.
He said the two former governors were pardoned on ill-health and age grounds and were released immediately, but did not disclose the names of the three others.
“We have no right to hold them further as soon as we have the letter of clemency from the presidency.
“If we do, it will be against their fundamental human rights.
“They have left the facility today. We got the warrant of the release today and have done the needful.
“Dariye and Nyame were in Kuje custodial centre while the three others were in Suleja custodial centre,” he said.
Nyame was serving a 12-year jail sentence for diverting N1.64 billion during his tenure as governor of Taraba State, while Dariye was serving 10 years’ imprisonment for N1.126 billion fraud.
