Former Governor of Taraba State, Jolly Nyame, has explained that being in prison for three years exposed him to the inequalities in the Nigerian justice system.
He said this while addressing reporters on the occasion of his 67th birthday in Jalingo.
According to Nyame, the type of treatment an inmate gets in a Nigerian prison depends on their social status.
Recall that Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the High Court of Federal Capital Territory in Abuja convicted Nyame of criminal diversion of public funds to the tune of N1.64 billion in 2018 and sentenced the convict to 14 years in prison.
The Supreme Court, while affirming Nyame’s conviction, however reduced the sentence to 12 years in 2020.
The ex-governor walked free in August 2022 after President Muhammadu Buhari granted him presidential pardon.
Nyame, who was incarcerated in the Kuje correctional facility until his release, said, “I learnt a lot during my prison term and I realised that in this country, there are two kinds of justice: one for the advantaged citizens and the other for the disadvantaged Nigerians.
“My hope is that after 2023, things will change for better.”
He expressed gratitude to the president for the pardon and promised not to disappoint him.
“As a beneficiary of President Buhari’s good gesture, I will never disobey or disappoint the president in whatever I do,”