Legal Status Profiles

Records

Joshua Dariye

Nigerian politician who was Governor of Plateau State from 1999 to 2007 and later a senator for Plateau Central, and who was convicted of criminal breach of trust in an EFCC prosecution.

ConvictedLatest source dated 2022-04Last reviewed 2026-10-26

What is Joshua Dariye’s legal position?

EFCC prosecution over diversion of Plateau State Ecological Fund money

Convicted

Current position. The conviction for criminal breach of trust is final after the March 2021 Supreme Court judgment; he was pardoned in April 2022 and released from custody.[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Authority
High Court of the Federal Capital Territory; Court of Appeal, Abuja; Supreme Court of Nigeria; prosecuted by the EFCC
Status date
2021-03-12

History

  1. 2018-06-12 FCT High Court (Justice Adebukola Banjoko) convicted him on 15 of 23 counts of criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation; sentenced to 14 years and 2 years, concurrent.
  2. 2018-11-16 Court of Appeal, Abuja upheld the conviction but reduced the sentences to 10 years (criminal breach of trust) and 1 year (misappropriation).
  3. 2021-03-12 Supreme Court upheld the 10-year sentence for criminal breach of trust and quashed the misappropriation convictions; appeal allowed in part.
  4. 2022-04-14 Granted a presidential pardon at a Council of State meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari; subsequently released from Kuje correctional centre.

Sources

  1. Senator Joshua Dariye Bags 14 Years for N1.16bn FraudEconomic and Financial Crimes Commission, 2018-06-12, primary source
  2. Supreme Court upholds 10-year sentence on Joshua Dariye, ex-Plateau governorInternational Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), 2021-03-12, secondary source
  3. Buhari pardons Dariye, Nyame — the two ex-governors jailed for fraudTheCable, 2022-04, secondary source
  4. Nigerian Government releases former governors, Dariye, Nyame from prisonVoice of Nigeria, 2022-04, primary source
  5. Just in: Supreme Court upholds 10-year sentence on ex-Plateau Gov DariyeTheNigeriaLawyer, 2021-03-12, secondary source

Change history

  • 2026-10-26 Record published.

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