N1.64bn Fraud: Ex-Taraba Gov Bags 14 Years Jail Term
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Gudu, on Wednesday, convicted and sentenced the former Governor of Taraba State, Reverend Jolly Nyame to 14 years imprisonment without the option of fine.
Trial Justice Adebukola Banjoko found the defendant guilty on 27 out of the 41-count money laundering charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him. Specifically, the court sentenced Nyame to 14 years for criminal breach of trust, 2 years for misappropriation, 7 years for gratification and 5 years for obtaining valuable public properties without consideration. The court held that the sentence would run concurrently, even as it discharged the defendant on 14 counts of the charge. Justice Banjoko who gave the verdict after she turned down Nyame’s plea for leniency, said she was “morally outweighed by facts of the case”.
“Citizens of Taraba had elected the defendant, a clergyman, in three separate occasions to govern them, which shows constant level of trust.
The expectation must have been so high.
“As a Reverend, he must have been seen as an epitome of morality, piety and everything good. How will Reverend Nyame begin to explain to people of Taraba State his actions and inactions? “How can he justify causing such a collosal loss to the state?” the Judge queried.
The judge who maintained that the defendant committed “catalogue of crimes” a month before he vacated office “while under intense searchlight from security agencies”, said the court would be failing in its responsibility “if it fails to impose the full sanction”.
According the judge, evidence before the court showed that while officials that served under the defendant were returning their loot to the EFCC after they were questioned, he said Nyame “was still busy committing more crime”.
The court stressed that one of such crimes included N100million the defendant withdrew from the state treasury to host former President Olusegun Obasanjo who paid a one-day visit to Taraba State in 2007.
The judge said after she carefully examined all the evidence EFCC tendered before the court, she concluded that it was “either the defendant entered into office without a corrupt mind and became corrupted, or he was corrupted ab-initio. “There was such a crazy level of corruption in the air in Taraba State Ministry of Finance. It is however amazing that none of the officials were arraigned”, Justice Banjoko added. She held that Nyame “behaved like a common theif with unbridled greed”, saying his sentence would serve as a deterrent to other public office holders.
The court directed EFCC to return all the funds it recovered in the process of its investigation into the case, to the coffers of Taraba State.
The judgment came eleven years after Nyame who held sway as Governor of Taraba State from May 29, 1999, to May 29, 2007, was docked by the anti-graft agency over allegation that he looted public funds to the tune of N1.64billion.
The prosecution, in the charge dated May 13, 2007, told the court that the former governor perpetuated the fraud between January 2005 and May 2007, through various bogus contracts. Nyame had pleaded not guilty to the charge which he insisted was not only incompetent, but brought against him in bad faith. The trial culminated from a petition jointly signed by one Umar Baba and Kelas Obadia, entitled “Taraba State in a mess, the Commissioner of Finance goofed” written on behalf of concerned citizens of the state. EFCC had on November 22, 2016, closed its case after it called 14 witnesses that testified before the court.
Thereafter, the ex-governor testified in defence of himself and called additional three witnesses that attempted to exonerate him of all the allegations against him. Nyame whose trial commenced since 2005, earlier went to the Supreme Court to quash charges against him.
He was turned down by the apex court on March 5, 2010. He was among other things, accused of diverting N180million out of N250million meant for the purchase of stationeries by Taraba State government between January and February 2005, as a reward for the award of the contract to USAB International (Nig.) Ltd and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 115, 309 and 315 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 laws of Federation of Nigeria 1990.
