Imprisoned Dariye co-sponsors Senate motion on Kaduna killings

When the Senate considered and adopted the motion titled "Senseless Killing of a Briton and the Abduction of Three Others in a Holiday Resort in Kaduna State by Armed Bandits" during plenary on Thursday, April 25, 2019, Dariye's name was number 89 on the Order Paper with all other lawmakers in the upper legislative chamber.

The former Plateau governor had been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment by the Federal Capital Territory High Court on June 12, 2018, after he was found guilty of criminal breach of trust and diverting N1.162 billion state ecological funds while he was governor between 1999 and 2007.

The Appeal Court reduced the jail term from the initial 14 years to 10 years on November 16, ruling that the maximum sentence of 14 years was excessive especially because the former governor was a first-time offender.

Despite his imprisonment, Dariye is still receiving his N750,000 salary and N13.5 million monthly running cost from the National Assembly Commission.

Last year, his aide, Christopher John, said the lawmaker is entitled to the allowances as long as his seat is not declared vacant by the leadership of the National Assembly.

He said the lawmaker's seat cannot be declared vacant until the Supreme Court has ruled on his appeal at the apex court.

The office of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, disclosed that Dariye's seat cannot be declared vacant unless officially notified by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

Senate condemns Kajuru attack

Thursday's motion was sponsored by Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central - PRP) who condemned the recent attack by gunmen who invaded Kajuru Castle, a recreational resort in Kaduna, on Friday, April 19, 2019 and killed two humanitarian workers, Matthew Oguche and Faye Mooney, a British citizen. The bandits also kidnapped three people during the attack.

Faye Mooney [YouTube/Faye Mooney/Sky News] Pulse Nigeria

He said the northern part of Nigeria, especially states like Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna and Niger, have become theatres of kidnappings and killings and will hurt the nation's image in the international community.

He said the Federal Government's inability to combat crime effectively has further emboldened lawbreakers to be reckless.

He said, "In recent times, the attacks on individuals, houses and villages have become one too many, and there is no single person that has been brought to book as a result of the wanton killings; and the so-much-emphasised efforts at combating the crime is not yielding fruitful results.

"The Senate is more worried due to the fact that perpetrators of these heinous activities tend to be gaining more courage to perpetuate their dastardly acts without fear of confrontation due to their acclaimed superior fire power."

Shehu Sani [Sahara Reporters] ece-auto-gen

Lawmakers observed a minute's silence in honour of the deceased victims and reached several resolutions including an invitation of the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to the chamber to explain the spate of insecurity in the country.

The Senate also called on the government to set up an inter-agency task force to tackle cases of banditry and kidnapping in troubled states, with special security cover to foreign workers and tourists.

How Oguche, Mooney got killed

Mooney and Oguche, who were lovers, were killed while trying to escape during an exchange of gunfire between the bandits and two police officers standing guard in front of the castle.

Matthew Oguche [Twitter/@md oguche] Pulse Nigeria

While Mooney was working in Nigeria for an NGO called Mercy Corps until her death, Oguche was working as a training assistant with the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO).

The Kogi State native was involved in the delivery of personal safety and hostile environment awareness courses to NGOs before his death. He also worked as a programme assistant at Mercy Corps, where he most likely met Mooney, between July 2017 and January 2018.

Oguche and Mooney were part of a group of 14 who had travelled from Lagos State to the crisis-ridden Kajuru which has been plagued by conflict over the past few months with communal conflicts as well as activities of bandits leading to the death of dozens.

At least 55 people were killed during a communal clash at Kasuwan Magani in October 2018, and another 130 people were killed in another spate of violence that ravaged Maro and several other communities in February 2019.