Law spoke, Justice Sang, Ozekhome says as court discharges, acquits Jang

• EFCC Goes For Appeal
• Leadership Not Easy Tas­­­k– Ex-Gov

Former Governor of Plateau State, Sen. Jonah Jang, who has been standing trial for alleged N6.3 billion fraud in the past four years, was yesterday discharged and acquitted of all the 17 counts against him.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Christy Dabup of the Plateau State High Court, said that Jang’s accusers could not convincingly prove any of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

Dabup also discharged and acquitted the second defendant, Yusuf Pam, who was a former cashier in the state when Jang was governor.

But EFCC, through its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said it would appeal the judgment. 

Uwujaren said: “The attention of the Commission has been drawn to the September 2, 2022 judgment of Justice Dabup of the Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos, discharging and acquitting a former governor of Plateau, Sen. Jang, and a former cashier in the Office of the Secretary to the State Government (OSSG), Yusuf Pam, of the 17 charges bordering on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of Plateau funds to the tune of N6.3 billion.”

The Commission immediately initiated processes for an appeal.

After the court session yesterday, Jang’s counsel, Dr. Mike Ozekhome (SAN), told journalists that his client was discharged and acquitted because the judge could not find any merit in any of the 17 charges levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Ozekhome described the allegations as a tale full of sound and fury.

The case, according to him, was filed on May 4, 2018, adding that the accusers amended the charge on September 30, 2019.

He said that Jang had been undergoing tortuous experience for almost four and a half years of trial and tribulations, adding that yesterday the law spoke.

“Justice came out in its full colours. Law spoke today. Today, the judge became Daniel, who came to judgment. Today, justice sang. God did what he knows how best to do to vindicate the just, to exculpate the innocent, to vanquish the traducers and to disgrace the bad elements,” Ozekhome said.

He noted that Jang, as a sitting governor, took a loan of N250 million, which he was paying gradually, even till he left governance and became senator, adding that he was still paying that loan.

Ozekhome said the court found nothing; hence it discharged and acquitted Jang.

Jang, a retired air commodore, who has always been calm, told journalists that truth would always prevail in the end, even if it takes years.

“The above succinctly captures the position we are in today, following my vindication of the charges preferred against me by the EFCC. I must confess that I had known from the onset that leadership was not an easy task, but I stepped out to make a difference, having been a military administrator in two states.

“The benevolence of the Plateau people and the grace of God made me the state governor from 2007 to 2015. My previous experience as a military administrator and the driving force, which was to leave a mark on the Plateau as I did in my previous assignments, never changed,” he stated.

Jang dedicated his victory in the court to God and the people of Plateau. He thanked his legal team led by Ozekhome and Edward Pwajok (SAN), his family members, who suffered harassment through his trying period.

He added: “The judicial journey of the past four years is not something to wish, even for the greatest of your enemies. It was not only distracting but robbed me of the time and attention to pursue personal goals.

“I had planned on retiring to my home place in Du. Unfortunately, I had to go out of my way to keep sourcing funds to pay my lawyers to secure representation in court. As genuine as those efforts are, freedom is better. We give God all of the glory, for only in him is true freedom guaranteed.”