Fulani Youth groups seeks presidential pardon for jailed former Plateau governor, Dariye

Three years after the former Governor of Plateau State, Senator Joshua Achibi Dariye was jailed, Coalition of Fulani youth groups have written to seek for his presidential pardon.

A copy of the letter dated 21st September, 2021 which was signed by the National President of the groups, Alhaji Abdulkareem Bayero and sighted by CAPITAL POST, appealed for the release of Dariye in the interest of peace in Plateau State.

The group’s letter which was addressed to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice said it was a tradition for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to grant presidential pardon to convicts during the independence celebration, hence, they are pleading with President Muhammadu Buhari to grant Dariye pardon.

Part of the letter read:. “We write to appeal to your esteemed office to solicit for a presidential pardon to be granted to the former Governor of Plateau State, His Excellency, Chief Joshua Dariye in the interest of peaceful coexistence of our country.

“Sir, we are aware that it is a custom at every annual independence celebration, the Constitution has empowered Mr. President to grant pardon to prisoners.

“It is in the light of the forthcoming celebration of our nationhood that we wish to use the opportunity to plead that you use your good office as the nation’s Legal Adviser to Mr President to prevail on him in his usual magnanimity to extend pardon to the ex-governor, Joshua Dariye.

Dariye was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for embezzlement of ecological funds belonging to Plateau State governor.

He was a sitting Senator as at the time he was sentenced to prison about 3 years ago at FCT High Court, sitting in Gudu, Abuja.

CAPITAL POST recalled that Dariye appealed the judgement at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court in attempt to quash his conviction without success.