Buhari Under Pressure After State Pardon For Convicted Ex-Govs Dariye, Nyame

Human rights lawyer and activists Chief Femi Falana has expressed dismay over the Federal Government’s decision to free former Plateau and Taraba Governors for their culpability in financial misappropriation.

President Muhammadu Buhari has been criticised for granting pardon to the two former governors jailed for corrupt practices while petty thieves are left to possibly die in the prisons

The Council of State had on Thursday granted a presidential pardon to 159 convicts including the duo of Nyame and Dariye who were both jailed for allegedly stealing N1.16 billion and N1.6 billion respectively.

Rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN), pleaded the Federal Government to extend Thursday’s presidential pardon granted to some top Nigerians, to people serving terms for petty offences.

This, he argued, would reflect fairness and equality for all before the law.

The legal luminary threatened to mobilise other lawyers against FG if other convicts, especially those jailed for petty offences are not pardoned.

Falana made the call at the 1st anniversary of late Afenifere’s spokesman, Yinka Odumakin’s Lecture and Book Presentation

Falana further said: “All petty thieves in our prisons should be released. Under Section 17 of the 1999 Constitution, there shall be equality and equal rights for all citizens.

“Section 42 of the Constitution says there shall be no discrimination on the basis of class and gender, so you cannot take out a few people on the basis that they belong to a category or section of the society.

“I can assure you that if the government did not release others, I am going to call on lawyers whose clients are left in custody to come to court and challenge the discriminatory treatment of their clients.

“Just two weeks ago, a Nigerian was jailed for stealing N1,000 in Abuja; the accused pleaded with the judge that he had no food but the judge jailed him for six months.