Former Plateau State Governor, Joshua Dariye, has been reported to be down with renal failure.
The convicted governor is currently hospitalised at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, the Nation reports.
A source, who pleaded anonymity, was quoted as saying: “I have gone to see him. He is having serious health challenges. From my finding and from the doctor, his ailment is kidney failure and it is critical.”
Spokesman of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), FCT Command, Chukwuedo Humphrey, confirmed that Mr Dariye is hospitalised, he, however, declined to state the nature of his ailment.
Mr Humphrey said: “I will not mention the name of the illness to you and the hospital where he is. Normally people whose health we can’t manage we refer outside for proper medical attention. We have been managing his illness since October/November.”
The spokesman added: “It is the doctor who knows when he can be discharged. We have now limited the number of people visiting him at the hospital. We are just allowing his wife, close family and friends, and law enforcement personnel. Tight security is around him just as if he is in the prison cell.
“His wife is always allowed around him. And she is always full of praises to the NPS for the proper medical attention. And his court hearings are ongoing, he does not need to appear in court. His lawyers are there to defend him.
“Because of his health challenge, he opted for self-feeding. Because we cannot be cooking any special food for him. His family brings food for him.”
The Court of Appeal in Abuja, in November 2018, reduced Dariye’s jail term to 10 years from 14.
He was convicted for diverting N1.62 billion ecological funds.
