Dariye bags 16-year jail sentence

A federal capital territory (FCT) high court has sentenced Joshua Dariye, former governor of Plateau state, to 16 years in prison.

Dariye, a serving senator, will serve a two-year and 14-year jail term concurrently.

Adebukola Banjoko, the judge, did not give him an option of fine.

The former governor appeared in court in a blue agbada. He was accompanied by family members, friends and political associates.

In 2007, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged him with money laundering.

He was accused of diverting N1.126bn from Plateau government’s ecological funds.

The former governor was said to have operated Ebenezer Reitner Ventures, an unregistered company through which he diverted the said funds.

In her ruling, the judge said: “I can’t imagine a brazen act of looting as in this case,” Banjoko said.

“I welled up while reading (the judgement) thinking of the victims, it is a litany of woes. They were adults making rational choices. More importantly, I think what touches me the most, your family, they are victims.

“Having found the defendant guilty of these counts of criminal breach trust and criminal appropriation, the court sentences you to two years for criminal breach of trust and 14 years for criminal appropriation.”

The senator was whisked away by the police after the judge’s pronouncement.

Two weeks ago, Jolly Nyame, former governor of Taraba state, got a 14-year jail sentence for fraud.